Merlin chosen to be UK lead on surgery in disaster zones

The medical charity Merlin has been chosen by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to lead on providing surgery in humanitarian emergencies worldwide.

Over the next nine months Merlin will recruit and equip a surgical team who can be deployed globally in the event of an emergency, under a new scheme announced today by International Development Secretary Justine Greening. By co-ordinating the deployment of British medical personnel from the UK International Emergency Trauma Register*, Merlin will help the UK provide specialist orthopaedic and plastics surgery at short notice when natural disasters, particularly earthquakes strike abroad.

In disaster-prone countries with fragile health systems, countless lives can be saved by preparation to quickly scale up surgical capacity. Surgical expertise is vital, but often in short supply in emergencies like the Haiti earthquake in 2010, where 300,000 people were injured, resulting in 4,000 amputations.

Carolyn Miller, Merlin’s Chief Executive said: “We are delighted that DFID has recognised Merlin’s expertise in getting complex medical operations like surgery up and running in an emergency, whether in Pakistan, Indonesia or Haiti. This will enable us to be a real force for health in future disasters.”

British orthopaedic surgeon Richard Villar, who led Merlin’s surgical services in a number of humanitarian emergencies including Haiti, Libya, Indonesia and Kashmir, said: “In earthquakes and other emergencies, having skilled surgeons on hand is often the difference between life and death. When places like Haiti are hit by natural disaster, already lacking medical staff and equipment at the best of times, we need to share the expertise we have in the UK. Getting our doctors to where they are needed the most is not an easy job so DFID has given Merlin and our patients a real boost in emergencies.”

The team will include surgeons, paramedics, nurses and logistics support. This will be enough to set up two operating theatres with the capacity to carry out 10 surgical procedures a day within 48 hours of arrival on the ground.

Merlin will be able to provide standalone, fully equipped and supplied surgical services in emergencies where existing health services are all but destroyed. Teams will also be deployed to support local hospitals struggling to cope with demand.

Merlin is already a member of DFID’s rapid response network and works in a number of disaster-prone countries including Haiti, Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Myanmar. The announcement builds on an existing partnership with UK Med, who Merlin joined forces with in Haiti in 2010.**

ENDS

Notes to editors

*The UK International Emergency Trauma Register (IETR) is a register of over 350 UK medical professionals managed by the Manchester-based charity UK Med, from which surgical teams can be selected for deployment in the event of natural disaster or conflict.

**Merlin worked with UK Med to set up a 40-bed facility in Haiti after the devastating earthquake of 2010 which performed a total of 348 operations on 158 patients, an average of 47 cases per week. The amputation rate was 1%.

Case study (pictures available): Dahanna, surgery patient in Haiti, January 2010

At eight years old, Dahanna was faced with the prospect of losing her hand, badly injured when her house collapsed in the earthquake and she was trapped under debris for two days. She was brought to Merlin’s tented hospital and received surgery from a specialist team free of charge. The treatment took six weeks of operations and involved a series of skin grafts and reconstructive surgery – which normally would have cost thousands of US dollars. One year on, she had made a full recovery, back at school and living in a new apartment with her family.