After six years of providing surgical care in the aftermath of the war in Mosul, Iraq, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is handing over medical services at Al-Wahda hospital in East Mosul to the Directorate of Health (DoH). This decision comes as Mosul advances in its recovery journey after years of deadly battles.

“When I compare Mosul today to what I saw during my last visit, I see that the city is recovering: the roads, the hospitals, the schools, its neighbourhoods,” says Gilberta Jayros, MSF medical lead in Mosul, who first came to Mosul as an operating theatre nurse when the war in Mosul was ongoing. “Although it is slow, it is surely happening,” she says.