MISSIONS


All our missions are accurately logged. This allows us to control our work and to learn lessons for further operations. The mission reports are also intended for the public. So you can see what INTERPLAST's medical teams are doing.

Read our mission reports later on this page. 


Ghana, January 2024

St Joseph Hospital in Koforidua in January 2024

 

After a four-year forced break due to the pandemic, Interplast Switzerland was able to carry out its second mission in Ghana.

A motivated team of specialists consisting of three hand surgeons, an anaesthesia team, two technical operating assistants (TOA), two occupational therapists and a cook travelled to Koforidua, three hours' drive from Accra, with great excitement about what to expect after four years of mission interruption.

 

Find out more about the entire mission and all operations in the mission report.


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Bericht.Interplast.2024.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Document 23.3 MB

Burkina Faso, October 2023

Clinic Centre Medico-Chirurgical Sédogo from 14.10.2023 to 04.11.2023.

 

Interplast Switzerland's major commitment over a total of three weeks with three different teams: an organizational tour de force and an absolute surgical success. 

With three different focal points - burn, breast and hand surgery - it was possible to maintain efficient surgical operations throughout the entire period. 

 

In cooperation with the local staff, we were able to provide numerous patients with the best possible care before, during and after the operations and help them to regain a better quality of life and functionality through our operations. 

 


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Einsatz Léo_OktNov23.pdf
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Uganda, June 2023

St. Francis Hospital Mutolere, Kisoro, Uganda from 22.06.2023 to 30.06.2023.

 

 

The first Interplast Switzerland mission in Kisoro, Uganda was a complete success. After initial contact and exploration last year, a trial deployment in a new area was successfully completed. 

We are looking forward to further cooperation in order to improve the quality of life of patients in this area with our interventions in the future. 

 

Learn all about the mission as well as Interplast Switzerland's next plans in the new mission report.

 


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Einsatzbericht Uganda.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Document 6.3 MB

Burkina Faso, March 2023

Clinic Centre Medico-Chirurgical Sédogo from 03.03.2023 to 12.03.2023.

 

Directly following the mission in Bamako, Mali, an Interplast Switzerland mission took place in Léo, Burkina Faso.

In the well-known, well-equipped operating room of the Centre Medico-Chirurgical Sédogo clinic, mainly keloids, scar contractures and malformations were operated on.

 

Read more in the mission report.


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4_Einsatz Léo_032023.pdf
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Mali, February 2023

Golden Life Hospital in Bamako, Mali from 24.02.2023 to 03.03.2023.

 

At the beginning of 2023, another mission of Interplast Switzerland took place in Bamako, Mali. 

In order to raise awareness about breast cancer, Interplast started the project to establish a breast center in the region and provide patients with reconstructive breast surgery. But like any new project in such an area, progress is slow. 

Therefore, the team also worked on the classic plastic reconstruction problems in the area, such as facial reconstruction after noma, burn wounds and congenital defects.

 

Read more about all the whole mission to get the full insight. 

 

 


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Einsatzbericht Bamako 2023.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Document 7.6 MB

Burkina Faso, April 2022

Klinik Centre Medico-Chirurgical Sédogo from 07.04.2022 to 14.04.2022.

 

Interplast-Switzerland was again on a mission. It might have already become routine, one would think, since a large number of missions have already been organized by us in recent years. But nevertheless

it is always exciting, uncertain, emotional and unpredictable to plan, execute and follow up such a mission.

 

The focus in this mission was breast reconstruction in women with breast cancer. Learn more about the last mission and listen to the impressions of the team. 

 


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Einsatz Bericht Léo April 2022.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Document 6.5 MB

Mali, February 2022

Golden Life Hospital in Bamako, Mali from 05.02.2022 to 12.02.2022.

 

Interplast-Switzerland starts the new year with another mission in Bamako, Mali. At the Golden Life Hospital, with the cooperation of Association New Face, the team of Dr. med. V. Wedler is working in the operating room on numerous scar contractures, breast reconstructions and reconstructions in noma patients.

 


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Einsatzbericht Mali 2022 5.2.-12.2.22.pd
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Burkina Faso, November/December 2021

Mission in the "Centre Medico-Chirurgical Sédago" clinic in Léo Burkina Faso from 25 November to 04 December 2021

 

 

A mission was planned in Persis, Ouahigouya. But there were COVID 19 cases in Persis and therefore the health department in the clinic had quarantined the operating area for 14 days. This would still have been a solvable problem, but unfortunately there were attacks again very close to Ouahigouya, and we were advised not to come for security reasons. So we looked for solutions to avoid having to cancel the mission and were able to move the mission to Léo a clinic in the south of Burkina Faso.  


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Einsatzbericht Burkina Faso 25.11.-04.12
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Burkina Faso, October 2021

Mission in the "Centre Medico-Chirurgical Sédago" clinic in Léo Burkina Faso from 1 October to 10 October 2021.

 

 

Finally it was possible to plan a mission in Burkina Faso again. After prolonged increased turbulence and COVID-19 uncertainties, a small team was able to test the new situation and the new installations of the clinic in Léo, in the south of Burkina Faso.

 


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Einsatzbericht Burkina Faso 01.10-10.10.
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Mali, December 2020

Clinique Médicale MEDITECH in Bamako, Mali from 4 December 2020 to 11 December 2020.

 

At the beginning of December MD Volker Wedler took us to the banks of the Niger. Having already been in action to Mali for the third time, the area of mission was no longer new for us. The infrastructure existed. Patients could already be identified by pre-triage and support of Dr Moussa Baba Daou, the President of the Association New Face and Plastic Surgeon. It was indeed not sure up to 100% until shortly before departure whether the mission was able to be carried out because the hospital planned for our mission was converted into a COVID-19 treatment centre by the Government of Mali. However, it was possible to organize an alternative hospital and so we reached Bamako shortly after midnight.


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Einsatzbericht Mali 04.12.-11.12.2020.pd
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Cameroon, March 2020

The Surgical-Medical Hospital of the ASPSC (Association pour le Soutien et la Promotion de la Santé au Cameroun – Society for Support and Development of Health Care in Cameroon) in Bafoussam officially planned from 13 March 2020 to 27 March 2020.

 

In the morning at 9 o’clock it started with travelling by a chauffeur. It was an interesting transfer taking us across mountains and a lot of green landscapes. The scheduled day of triage brought us some surprises as the local employee responsible for planning has left the hospital on short notice. Our team of doctors with Manuela made the best of it; she was phoning and organizing at the same time to allow the triage and surgical activity to start as planned. The OR schedule was finally filled and the logistics work ticked off, we were looking forward to Tuesday – but it was still not to run smoothly.


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Einsatzbericht Kamerun 13.03.-01.04.20.p
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Palestine, February 2020

Martyr Khalil Hospital in Jenin, Palestine (West Bank) from 14 February 2020 to 21 February 2020

 

The mission has already entered its third round. This year a total of 28 surgeries were performed within 5 days, with most surgeries being contracture resolution with full skin coverage after burns or scalds. We were supported by the NGO PCRF (Palestine Child Relief Fund). 
The team gathered at Zurich Airport on the morning of
 February 14th. After check-in of the seven boxes of medical utensils and the homespun gifts, we had a cup of coffee before the trip to Tel Aviv and then to Jenin. The flight was without any problems, however, the entry one of our team member was briefly denied.


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Einsatzbericht Jenin 14.-21.2.2020.pdf
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Ghana, November 2019

 

Mission in the St. Joseph Hospital in Koforidua, Ghana from 23 November 2019 to 1 December 2019.

 

After our evaluation trip in 2018, we decided to perform our first hand surgery mission in the St. Joseph Hospital in Koforidua in Eastern Ghana. 

After a smooth flight, we were picked up with two buses in Accra by two brother monks. The following day we were driven to the St. Joseph Hospital about 2.5 h in the north. Reaching the hospital around noon, we were warmly welcomed by brother François (Hospital Director) and Bernard (Hospice Manager). After allocating the rooms, lunch was ready so that we could start the medical consultation in the early afternoon.


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Einsatzbericht Ghana November 2019 .pdf
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Burkina Faso, October 2019

 

 

Mission in the Clinique Segdago in Léo, Burkina Faso from 12 October 2019 to 22 October 2019.

 

The mission was performed as a common project with 21 operations within 6 days.

Despite the late arrival, we went from Ouagadougou to Léo in the dark after the arrival directly. The next day about 50 patients were waiting for us with their companions.

 

 

 


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Einsatzbericht Leo Burkina Faso 12.-22.1
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Mali, August/September 2019

 

Golden Life American Hospital, Bamako (Mali) from 26 August 2019 to 4 September 2019.

 

Our workplace was the “Golden Life American Hospital“, located directly on the Niger between the two main bridges over the river. The sponsorship is a cooperation between a Turkish, Malian and American group completed one year ago. It was a pleasure to find an intact infrastructure with the most modern standards. I have never worked in such a good environment before in my 23 years of working in developing countries. For the operations on NOMA patients such a perfect infrastructure was a great advantage.


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Einsatzbericht Bamako 26.08.-04.09.19.pd
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Cameroon, March 2019

The Surgical-Medical Hospital of the ASPSC (Association pour le Soutien et la Promotion de la Santé au Cameroun – Society for Support and Development of Health Care in Cameroon) in Bafoussam from 8 March 2019 to 17 March 2019.

 

It is the second surgical mission in Bafoussam for an expanded surgical mission after the first activity for determination of location in June 2018. A total of 40 patients were evaluated and 15 interventions were performed in 4 days of surgery by us. One highlight was meeting a patient again who had been operated on the previous year.

 


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Einsatzbericht vom März 2019
Einsatzbericht Kamerun 8.3.19-17.3.19.pd
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Burkina Faso, January 2019

Hospital Persis, Ouahigouya, Yatenga from 4 January 2019 to 18 January 2019.

 

Departure from Zurich with 11 person to Ouagadougou. The group consisted of three hand surgeons and a paediatric surgeon, an anaesthesiologist, an anaesthesia nurse, two technical surgical female assistants, two female occupational therapists and a registered nurse. It was a pleasant trip. We arrived in Ouagadougou punctually without any problems. The very first breath after getting out of the plane showed that we had landed in Ouagadougou. It smelled like fire in its own way.


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Einsatzbericht Burkina Faso 04.01.-18.01
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Burkina Faso, December 2018

Hospital Persis, Ouahigouya, Yatenga from 16 November 2018 to 1 December 2018.

 

During this mission, our focus was on evaluation and surgical reconstruction of patients after NOMA, burns, innate malformations, hand injuries and tumours. 

Fortunately, a local oral surgeon operated with us throughout the period. Therefore, this time we concentrated a little more on the reconstruction in the head/neck area. At the same time, the postoperative progress controls were guaranteed by him.


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Einsatzbericht Burkina Faso 16.11.-1.12.
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Jenin, July 2018

 

 

 

 

Hospital in Jenin/West Bank from 20 July 2018 to 27 July 2018.

 

Another mission under cooperation with PCRF (Palestine Children Relief Fund) in Jenin/West Bank. The range of surgeries consisted mainly of severe function-restricting contractures after burns, scalds, explosions as well as malignant tumours and innate malformations.

 


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Einsatzbericht Jenin 20.-27.7.18.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Document 218.9 KB

Cameroon, June 2018

 

The Surgical-Medical Hospital of the ASPSC (Association pour le Soutien et la Promotion de la Santé au Cameroun – Society for Support and Development of Health Care in Cameroon) in Bafoussam from 16 June 2018 to 20 June 2018.

 

Operation on urgent request on a 12-year-old boy, suffering from severe scarring after a burn of 30% of his body surface. At the same time, the operation was used as an opportunity to discuss the possibility of a future collaboration between INTERPLAST Switzerland, Cheira and ASPSC.

 


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Einsatzbericht vom Juni 2018
Einsatzbericht Kamerun 16.-20.6.18.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Document 286.2 KB