Destruction of Gaza’s health system: need to restore hope with Dr Nick Maynard

Professor Nick Maynard trained at Oxford University, Guy’s Hospital, London, and Melbourne, Australia. He is a Consultant Upper GI Surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Associate Professor of Surgery at Oxford University. He set up the Oxford Oesophagogastric Cancer Centre in 1997 and is the Senior Surgeon and Clinical Lead. From 2021 to 2023 he was President of the Association of Upper GI Surgery for Great Britain and Ireland (AUGIS), demitting in September 2023.

Nick first visited Palestine in 2008, and since 2010 he has been visiting Gaza regularly. Each October he leads a group of Oxford Consultants specialising in surgery, medicine, paediatrics, and obstetrics to Gaza to teach medical students from the Islamic University of Gaza and Al Azhar University. Nick also works with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP UK) as part of their surgical team to travel into Gaza to carry out and teach advanced upper gastrointestinal surgery for cancer and benign diseases. In December 2023 with MAP Nick led the first UK medical mission into Gaza during the current conflict and worked at Al Aqsa Hospital for 2 weeks. He will be returning to Gaza shortly.

Nick joined the Board of Trustees of IMET2000 (International Medical Education Trust) in 2016 and has been Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 2018.