About 20 health professionals from Turkey and Kosovo were engaged in performing the operation on a 28-year-old patient, which lasted over 13 hours. This operation was performed for the first time in the Clinic of Maxillofacial Surgery at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK).

Due to the lack of specialization of the surgeons, it was impossible to perform this operation successfully without the help of the medical team from Turkey.

This surgical intervention was done to remove the tumor from the part of the jaw, in which case the part of the lower jaw was completely removed and replaced with parts of the patient’s leg.

The Director of Maxillofacial Surgery, Alban Olluri, in an interview for KosovaPress, says that such interventions are not performed in some countries of the region, due to the complexity.

“Such operations generally take a long time all over the world, but since it was a big defect, it lasted 13 hours… Such interventions are not performed in some countries in the region; we have done such an intervention for the first time in Kosovo. We had cooperation with a team of doctors from Turkey, who helped us to carry out such an intervention, because we are in preparation for the realization of such complex operations. We are sending 4 of our surgeons who are employed at the Clinic of Maxillofacial Surgery where they are attending microsurgery training in Bohum and Aachen, Germany”, said Olluri.

Olluri emphasizes that 20 members of the medical team from Turkey and some other locals were involved in the 13-hour operation, which was carried out about two weeks ago.

He emphasizes that without the help of health professionals from Turkey, this operation would not be possible.

However, Olluri points out that four surgeons from the Maxillofacial Clinic are attending training in Bohum and Aachen, Germany, so that in the future this type of surgery will be performed by them.

“In the operation that lasted over 13 hours, it was carried out in the Plastic Surgery room due to the most comfortable conditions. It was carried out by our team and the team of doctors from Turkey. Approximately 20 members were involved, the medical team including two doctors surgeon from Turkey, two anesthesiologists from Turkey, surgeons from maxillofacial, plastic surgery, specialists from maxillofacial surgery, instrument… Anesthesiologists from two clinics. It’s a big, complex job, with high responsibility… Some other Balkan countries do not carry out interventions and four of the other countries, except Kosovo, do not carry out such interventions, because they are complex, require high professional training… Without the doctors from Turkey it would not have been done, it’s good that we were together with them… That’s what we aim for, to prepare our staff, our team, so that we as a country, as institutions, are prepared and ranked as high as possible, in terms of complex operations”, said Olluri.

For KosovaPress, Olluri announced that due to the patient’s neglect for about 6 years, his condition has reached this point.

He points out that the lower jaw has been completely removed, but has been replaced with bone, muscle and blood vessel parts from the leg. Despite this, the patient’s leg has not been damaged, and he will be able to walk as before, without any complications.

Among other things, Olluri says that within a month, the patient who underwent this operation will begin to recover and return to normality. He is still being treated at this clinic.