Restoring hand function in Gaza: Necessity is the mother of invention
As ongoing conflict, destruction of medical infrastructure, and severe restrictions on the entry of medical supplies in Gaza continue, access to specialised rehabilitation equipment remains extremely limited. This is forcing our medical teams to adapt and innovate with limited resources, including at MSF’s Al-Zawayda field hospital in Gaza where complex hand injuries are a common occurrence.
Despite the challenges, human ingenuity and patient resilience is leading to solutions for patients being treated in MSF facilities, who frequently present with complex trauma injuries. At MSF’s Al-Zawayda field hospital in Gaza, this includes includes gunshot wounds and blast injuries, which can lead to peripheral nerve damage affecting hand function. These injuries, such as radial or ulnar nerve damage or brachial plexus injuries, can result in severe disability and loss of autonomy if not properly managed.
Rehabilitation is a critical component of trauma care, enabling patients to regain their autonomy, and in the absence of much needed resources, simple, locally adapted solutions can significantly improve patients’ daily lives.
Our rehabilitation teams are working under highly constrained conditions to respond to these urgent needs, amid limited availability of standard rehabilitation devices. That has prompted innovation, including the development of locally adapted dynamic hand splints, sometimes using simple materials such as elastic rubber bands.
This improvised device supports patients with wrist drop and loss of finger movement, helping restore functional hand use. It represents a practical response to both the high number of trauma-related injuries and the lack of access to appropriate medical equipment, enabling patients to regain autonomy in their daily lives.
