A new series of podcast interviews with members of the Medical Self-Defense Network has recently been published on The Frontline Herbalism Podcast, a project of the Solidarity Apothecary. You can find the podcasts on all major podcast players. This first…
After the invasion of Turkey into Northeast Syria, an international group of health workers came together and discussed the experience of the years of war against ISIS and the Turkish invasions of Afrin in 2018 and Cizre in 2019 – cantons of NES.To build up better ways to support the local health structures, we decided to found an NGO that would allow us to send medical supplies and organize health workers to come to NES to give educations, support where it is needed and to get to know the revolution of Rojava.
Work is progressing at a steady pace with the lab for 3D printing tourniquets, as the ability to autonomously create devices for medical work is very important. These are the first little steps with production of medical devices accessible to community.
Since March this year, I came to work as a frontline medical volunteer in Ukraine, because we as MSDN see it as very important from perspective of critical solidarity, to be able to put in practice alternative medical structures, and open possibilities to those who are unable to join Territorial Defense units for different reasons. Whether it is capacity or other reasons, we want to be able to show that anybody can join that work with the right training, time and effort being involved. I wanted to help build something like this through Medical Self-Defense Network through providing medical training, participating in support of Ukrainian people and volunteers who are already engaged in educating others.
I’ve been first on the ground at natural disasters before but the devastating floods in Kentucky, USA have left me with my mouth hanging wide open. It’s hard to describe the level of devestation left in the wake of historic record breaking floods and mudslides in the region. Cars and houses are smashed together clogging up the creeks and trailers lay split in two across road ways. Entire towns are just gone.
In the absence of portable electronic suction one possible option is to utilize a nasopharyngeal airway adjunct (NPA) in combination with a 60cc syringe. Attach the NPA to the syringe, place the distal end of the NPA into the patients mouth while pulling back on the plunger of the syringe to remove vomitus, blood, or other secretions. Detach the NPA from the syringe and push down on the plunger to remove the secretions from the syringe before resuctioning the airway.
In the last weeks, MSDN was excited to provide basic trainings on safe techniques to carry injured people in emergency situations, as well as a basic education on ” stopping the bleed” and other basic life saving medical interventions.
We continue work at Ukrainian frontlines. The range of responsibilities here is rather wide - from going to the operations with military units to minimal medical support of civilian population in the absence of regular healthcare services (oh, and sometimes treating random puppies and kittens, too!) Yet the hardest task here is just waiting for a moment when you are needed.
Thanks to the donations of the supporters of MSDN, we were able to bring some amount of high quality emergency medical equipment to Northeastern Syria. Due to trade restrictions and other supply problems, it is difficult for medical professionals to have the quality equipment taken for granted in many other parts of the world- all of these items of equipment, however small, will make a difference.
