The recent successes of La Chaîne de l’Espoir, which supports healthcare systems ravaged by conflict, demonstrate France’s ability to combine medical expertise, international cooperation and economic diplomacy to help people in need.
La Chaîne de l’Espoir, an independent NGO specialising in providing access to surgical care for vulnerable populations and a long-standing player in international healthcare solidarity, has recently joined French Healthcare Association.
La Chaîne de l’Espoir joins French Healthcare to support healthcare rehabilitation in emergency situations
This membership strengthens a vital value chain: that of emergency response and post-crisis humanitarian reconstruction.
La Chaîne de l’Espoir is an international, independent and non-denominational NGO that has been working for several decades to improve access to medical and surgical care for vulnerable populations, particularly women and children. It embodies recognised French expertise in complex environments, including the Middle East and Eastern Europe, where it has been active for many years.
This membership is also part of a broader initiative led by French Healthcare Association, which is regularly called upon to organise collective solidarity initiatives, particularly in sensitive situations, working closely with the Crisis and Support Centre of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), the French ecosystem and key foreign decision-makers. This effective collective mobilisation mirrors the cooperation initiatives undertaken in Ukraine and the strategic partnerships with the Tulipe Association and the French Development Agency (AFD).
In Sinjar, Iraq, a new hospital has been set up thanks to la Chaîne de l’Espoir
The Sinjar French Medical Centre (SFMC) has been officially operational since 3 February 2026.
This 27-bed hospital, entirely set up by La Chaîne de l’Espoir – from construction to the installation of biomedical equipment – with the support of the Crisis and Support Centre of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union Regional Trust Fund (Madad), was handed over to the Iraqi authorities in October 2025. A success following “several years of rigorous, complex, delicate and coordinated work to provide the Iraqi healthcare system with a new healthcare facility that complements the country’s existing hospital provision” (Mr Amadou Diallo, Director of Technical Expertise at La Chaîne de l’Espoir).
The services available include outpatient consultations, emergency care, laboratory and radiology services, gynaecology and obstetrics, surgical services, and inpatient care. From its very first month of operation, the figures speak for themselves:
- 4,986 outpatient consultations
- 3,310 visits to A&E
- 12,709 diagnostic procedures
- 111 surgical procedures
- 94 birth deliveries
These figures highlight the scale of the needs in a region marked by years of conflict and violence, to which La Chaîne de l’Espoir is responding swiftly and effectively through this medical centre, which plays a pivotal role in restoring access to healthcare.
In the run-up to its opening, a biomedical assessment ensured the long-term reliability of the equipment: training of local teams, implementation of a maintenance plan, energy optimisation and technical adjustments to critical systems, particularly the air-handling systems.
Field expertise in regions where healthcare systems are under severe strain: the American Hospital of Paris and La Chaîne de l’Espoir are joining forces to support medical practitioners in Ukraine and Nepal.
Another major development that fully illustrates the synergies at work in delivering integrated, high-value-added services in fragile contexts: the American Hospital of Paris, a member of French Healthcare Association, and La Chaîne de l’Espoir have recently formalised a strategic partnership aimed at bringing French medical excellence to the benefit of populations facing crises or deteriorating health conditions.
Specialised surgical missions to train surgeons through mentorship, telemedicine and equipment donations: this operational partnership embodies a concrete humanitarian commitment and demonstrates the complementary nature of French expertise in healthcare rehabilitation, brought together within the French Healthcare ecosystem.
As part of this initiative, surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses from the American Hospital of Paris will continue to work alongside La Chaîne de l’Espoir on the ground, training local teams and ensuring their efforts are sustainable. These operations are being carried out in areas of great need, particularly in Ukraine and Nepal.
“As an orthopaedic surgeon who has been involved for many years (…) with various NGOs, and in particular with La Chaîne de l’Espoir in Ukraine (undertaking three to five missions a year), I see every day the impact these missions have on improving the quality of care provided to war wounded and on strengthening local skills. This institutional partnership amplifies what we are already doing on an individual basis and paves the way for a collective mobilisation of our hospital’s talents.”
Dr Stéphane Romano, Chair of the Medical Board at the American Hospital of Paris.
“I am a paediatric surgeon and have been working with La Chaîne de l’Espoir for over 15 years. I have taken part in numerous missions in West Africa and am currently involved in a new programme in Nepal. We are supporting our Nepalese colleagues in developing the very first specialist university course in paediatric surgery at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH). This support is provided in partnership with Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris and with the assistance of Professor Irtan, and includes on-the-ground support, distance learning and a simulation programme.”
Dr Naziha Khen Dunlop, Head of the Surgery Unit 1 at the American Hospital of Paris.
The value of France’s humanitarian and reconstruction efforts, embodied by La Chaîne de l’Espoir and its partners
Against an international backdrop marked by multiple crises, the commitment shown by La Chaîne de l’Espoir and all those involved in Iraq confirms that solidarity, expertise and cooperation are powerful drivers of change and reconstruction.
These two initiatives form part of a coherent value chain, collectively driven by the French Healthcare ecosystem:
- Active health diplomacy, working in close collaboration with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and French diplomatic missions
- Key financial partnerships (AFD, European Union, multilateral funds)
- Operational expertise that can be deployed in emergency situations or during post-crisis reconstruction
- The ability to integrate humanitarian aid into sustainable cooperation projects, for the benefit of local health systems
France can call on actors capable of contributing at every stage of the cycle: from emergency response to rehabilitation, from construction to training, and from infrastructure provision to governance. The presence of La Chaîne de l’Espoir – a key partner for countries committed to transforming and rebuilding their healthcare systems – within French Healthcare Association further enhances this collective visibility on the international stage.
Would you like to put your medical, paramedical or hospital engineering expertise to good use? Please contact Dr Diego Sobrero, Head of the Medical Department at La Chaîne de l’Espoir, to join our team of medical and paramedical volunteers (dsobrero@chainedelespoir.org) or Hélène Camuset-Jouot, Head of the Biomedical Infrastructure and Equipment Department, to join our team of technical volunteers: biomedical engineers, architects and hospital building engineers (hjouot@chainedelespoir.org)
