Home » Bethel Clinic fights for boys from Afghanistan / “If we don’t treat, the boy will lose his leg”

Bethel Clinic fights for boys from Afghanistan / “If we don’t treat, the boy will lose his leg”

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Bethel Clinic fights for boys from Afghanistan / “If we don’t treat, the boy will lose his leg”

Bielefeld-Bethel – When Ahmad Wali Ekrami came to Germany from Afghanistan in spring 2022, the then 11-year-old was hopeful. The boy is suffering from a severe inflammation on his left leg. In Afghanistan, medical care is bleak. Therefore, supervisors of a human rights organization organize treatment in a clinic in the Ruhr area. But suddenly the clinic had to cancel the treatment. Bethel steps in and saves the boy’s leg. The treatment lasted a year.

When the clinic is canceled, a world collapses for the boy and his host family. Maybe never run again? Play soccer with friends? Absolutely unimaginable. The supervisors of the human rights organization therefore turn to the Evangelische Klinikum Bethel (EvKB) in Bielefeld. “We have been involved in humanitarian aid projects for years. There is a separate fund for this, which bears the treatment costs,” says Tanja Kirchner, clinical ethicist at the EvKB.

Prof. Dr. Winfried Barthlen, Chief Physician at the Clinic for Pediatric Surgery: “The boy’s diagnosis is bitter. A severe bone infection in the left lower leg, colonized with a multi-resistant germ. The wound is open, suppurating, the boy is in severe pain. It’s immediately clear to us: If we don’t treat him now, the boy will lose his leg.” Child traumatologist Mohamad Al Nahar, senior physician, will perform the operation. With the x-rays, Al Nahar faces a major challenge. “The inflammation is very advanced. A fine line that requires the greatest sensitivity.” The operation takes two and a half hours. The doctor removes diseased tissue and stimulates blood flow to the growth zones of the bone. It quickly becomes clear that the operation was successful. The next few weeks are crucial for the boy. “The therapy had a direct effect on Ahmad. However, it still took a year for his treatment to be completed. And everyone was excited: the OR team, the nurses and doctors, the colleagues from physiotherapy and radiology – everyone who was involved in the treatment,” says Barthlen. Barthlen sends special thanks to the medical supply store Rosenhäger, which donated two leg braces, so-called orthoses.

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The boy’s final examination by senior physician Al Nahar has now taken place in the clinic. Ahmad Wali Ekrami comes to the clinic for the last time. A bandage adorns a small wound on the lower leg. The decisive statement from senior physician Mohamad Al Nahar follows promptly: “The leg has completely healed.” The now 12-year-old has a slight smile on his face. To say goodbye, there is a group photo on the ward as a reminder. A tear of joy flows behind one or the other protective mask. Because behind this boy is a whole clinic.

Photos: Christian Müller/EvKB

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