Burn Care: How Swisscross Is Transforming Care In Iraq
Local and global medical professionals working together at the OR at the Centre of Excellence for Complex Care at Zheen International Hospital, Erbil. July 2025
When Swisscross first arrived in Iraq, our mission was clear but daunting: provide reconstructive surgery to civilians devastated by war-related injuries. What we quickly discovered was that burns—many from conflict, but also from household accidents and self-immolation—were among the most common and most devastating injuries we would see.
In a setting where healthcare infrastructure had been shattered, where referral pathways were broken, and where most patients could not afford even the basic costs of surgical care, providing reconstructive burn treatment seemed extremely challenging.
But as a new commentary piece in the World Journal of Surgery highlights, Swisscross and our partners in the Kurdish Region of Iraq have proven that it is possible—and that when designed with purpose, burn care can be not only lifesaving but life-restoring.
A Model for Burn Care in Conflict Settings
The Commentary piece follows the Swisscross study, “Postoperative Care After Reconstructive Surgery for Burn Contractures in Communities Affected by War: A Retrospective Study in Iraq,” The study reviewed 147 cases of reconstructive surgery for burn contractures performed in Iraq on local residents, refugees, and internally displaced persons. It found something remarkable:
Follow-up rates were exceptionally high, even in a population facing displacement and insecurity—90% among local residents, 83% among refugees, and 64% among internally displaced persons.
Rehabilitation adherence was strong, with 78% of refugees and 66% of locals participating fully in therapy. Nearly half of patients received rehabilitation support from trained family or community members.
Despite limited resources, outcomes were robust, with complication rates comparable to high-resource settings, proving that quality care is possible even under challenging conditions.
The findings challenge the assumption that reconstructive burn care is too complex to deliver in unstable environments. Instead, they show that when care is organized thoughtfully, it can be delivered safely and effectively — and even scaled to reach more patients.
The authors concluded that this work “challenges the pervasive notion that reconstructive burn care is too complex to deliver amid instability and provides a model for how such care can be organized, adapted, and scaled.”
Flexibility as the Key to Success
Swisscross has learned that the key to success lies in flexibility. We work hand-in-hand with local hospitals, train caregivers and family members to assist with rehabilitation, and use mobile phones and telemedicine to supervise therapy remotely when patients cannot return easily for follow-up.
This is more than a surgical program—it is a system of care that bridges humanitarian and local health systems. By embedding our work in the community, we have been able to reach patients who might otherwise have been lost to follow-up, ensure continuity of care despite displacement, and transform outcomes for children and adults alike.
Swisscross Chief Surgeon Dr Walter Kunzi on screening day in July 2025 with maxillofacial surgeon, Dr Johannes Kuttenberger and local Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon Dr Mustafa Subhe.
Putting Patients at the Center
Swisscross’s approach is designed around the needs of patients, not just the limitations of the system. We integrate surgical care with rehabilitation, train local caregivers to support therapy, and use mobile and telemedicine tools to keep patients connected to care even when travel is impossible.
This is patient safety in action: reducing complications through structured follow-up, preventing disability through timely contracture release, and ensuring that patients are never left behind.
“Burn care in conflict settings is not merely about survival. It is about restoring function, dignity, and the potential to reintegrate into family and society.”
At Swisscross, this is exactly what drives us. Every contracture we release, every joint we restore, every child who returns to school or adult who returns to work is proof that comprehensive burn care is not just a medical intervention—it is a path back to life.
This is more than a guiding principle — it is our daily practice. Every surgery, every rehabilitation session, every training for a local health worker brings us closer to a future where burn survivors can live fully and safely.
World Patient Safety Day: A Global Call to Action
For surgeons, rehabilitation specialists, humanitarian actors, and global health leaders, the message is clear:
“Move beyond the immediate and build patient-centered systems for the lasting recovery of civilians injured in areas affected by conflicts.”
This World Patient Safety Day, we are reminded that safe care is not a privilege — it is a right.
Swisscross is committed to continuing to expand our programs, partnering with local hospitals, and investing in training so that burn patients across Iraq — and beyond — have access to safe, high-quality, and dignified care.
Swisscross is proud to be part of this movement. But the need is enormous, and we cannot do it alone. We invite partners, donors, and health professionals to join us in scaling this model, training more providers, and building lasting systems of care so that no burn patient is left behind.
