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SlideshowTrauma Care Where There Was None in Northern AfghanistanMay 21, 2012Before the opening of the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) surgical hospital in Kunduz Province, northern Afghanistan, people in the region suffering from severe injuries had two options. They made the long and dangerous journey to Kabul or Pakistan, or they visited an expensive private clinic. As a result, few patients received the trauma care they needed. In less than a year, the MSF trauma center, equipped with an emergency room, two operating theaters, and an intensive care unit, has seen more than 3,700 patients. The majority are victims of so-called “general trauma"—road traffic accidents, domestic violence, or civilian gunshot wounds. All photos by Michael Goldfarb *All patients’ names have been changed. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF An MSF physiotherapist assists Suleiman*, a 15-year-old boy in the intensive care unit. He underwent an emergency laparotomy the night before after suffering a complete bowel obstruction due to a traumatic injury. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF A young girl walks through the early-morning fog outside the perimeter of the hospital. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF The front gate at the MSF trauma hospital in Kunduz. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF A man and an injured young boy wait outside the triage ward. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF Abdallah*, 12, undergoes exercises in a specially equipped physical therapy room. He suffered a serious leg fracture in a car accident and receives regular physical therapy. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF Abdallah* displays his artwork. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF MSF surgeon Martin John Jarmin III interacts with a patient during rounds. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF A young Afghan man is transferred to another bed before undergoing an emergency operation in the surgical ward. The man had suffered a gunshot wound to the lower chest. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF Ali*, 11, sits in his bed in the inpatient ward. He discovered a discarded detonator in the street, which exploded, severely wounding is face and hands. His brother was blinded in the explosion. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF Ahmed*, 31, lies in his hospital bed as a relative looks on. A farmer in Kunduz, Ahmed suffered serious abdominal and leg injuries after setting off a hidden explosive in his field. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF Dr. Juan Robinson, an orthopedic surgeon, reviews a patient's X-ray with other medical staff during rounds in the inpatient ward. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF Munir*, 8, who broke his leg in a fall, plays in his hospital bed. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF At the end of a long day, Dr. Martin John Jarmin III (left) and anesthesiologist Katrine Finsnes go to check on a patient in the intensive care unit. 
Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF The grounds of the MSF hospital in Kunduz at dusk. The hospital, composed of fully equipped container buildings and refurbished sections of a 50-year-old former hospital, provides urgent surgical care and follow-up treatment for people who have suffered injuries, some life-threatening. It is the only trauma center of its kind in the region.
Tags: Afghanistan, Surgery, Surgeon |
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