PD Dr Klaus Exner, MD, Dr h.c., is a renowned specialist in the field of aesthetic and plastic surgery with an impressive career that extends far beyond his professional expertise. In addition to his work in state-of-the-art clinics in Frankfurt am Main and Oberursel, he has made a name for himself in the international medical community – both through his innovative surgical techniques and his significant scientific contributions. But what sets Dr Exner apart is his tireless humanitarian commitment, which has taken him to some of the world’s poorest regions for decades.
Dr Exner’s humanitarian work is deeply rooted in his professional and personal background. Since the 1980s, he has been dedicated to helping people in developing countries through plastic surgery procedures that open up new prospects for their lives. This mission has taken him and his team to Myanmar, Tanzania, Paraguay and Ukraine, among other places. There, he operates on children and adults with severe deformities such as cleft lip and palate, burns and tumors, often under difficult conditions. In doing so, he regularly sacrifices his free time to treat people on a voluntary basis who would otherwise have no access to medical care. Particularly noteworthy are his repeated missions to Ukraine, where he not only provides medical assistance but also works closely with local doctors.
For his exceptional services, he was awarded the Order of St Nicholas by the Orthodox Church and received an honorary doctorate from the Danylo Halyzkyi National Medical University in Lviv. This commitment demonstrates that Dr Exner is not only an outstanding surgeon, but also possesses a deep human understanding of the plight of others. His humanitarian missions are of great significance to the people he helps. They reflect his motto, “Helping others”, and have already improved the lives of thousands. The gratitude shown to him for this, and the lasting success of his missions, are proof that medical expertise and human commitment can together have a powerful impact. The editorial team at Leading Medicine Guide spoke to Dr Exner about this extraordinary commitment and learnt many details about his humanitarian work.
Humanitarian aid is an essential tool for supporting people in emergencies caused by natural disasters, conflicts, epidemics or other crises. It aims to meet acute human needs such as food, water, medical care and shelter, and plays a crucial role in alleviating suffering and protecting human dignity. Given the increasing frequency and intensity of crises on a global scale, the need for humanitarian aid is becoming ever more urgent. It is often the first and most immediate response to disasters and plays a key role in stabilizing societies in extreme situations.
As a plastic surgeon, humanitarian work is particularly close to Dr Klaus Exner’s heart. His decision to dedicate himself to this cause is deeply rooted in his past and his personal history.
“I grew up in a family of doctors, and it was clear from an early age that I too would follow this path. My parents, both doctors, set an example of what it means to devote oneself wholeheartedly to medicine and the well-being of patients. This fundamental attitude had a lasting influence on me and has stayed with me throughout my life. My interest in medicine, and in plastic surgery in particular, developed further when I began my medical studies in Marburg. My father, the orthopedic surgeon Prof. Dr Gerhard Exner, had also studied at this university, and it was here in 1966 (when I was a sixth-form student) that he noticed there was no barrier-free access for people with disabilities. He encouraged me at the time to look after two students in wheelchairs. For me, this meant driving to the student hall of residence very early in the morning, helping the two of them wash and get dressed, and then accompanying them to their lectures. I built wooden ramps so that the entrances could be accessed by wheelchair. It was all a bit complicated and challenging, but being able to help was a joy. Quite a short time later, in 1969, the Konrad Biesalski House opened its doors on the Schlossberg in Marburg – the first accessible student hall of residence in Germany. And because of this, the University of Regensburg was built as Germany’s first accessible university,” says Dr Exner at the start of our conversation, before going on to talk about his early experiences of providing aid in developing countries:
“Even while I was a student, I realized the importance of not only being technically proficient, but also of developing a deep understanding of patients’ circumstances. In 1972, I passed my state examination in Freiburg and heard about the opportunity to work actively and provide aid in the Third World by organizing an association. This led to my first experience abroad as a development aid worker in Bolivia, where I spent a year primarily supporting the work of the humanitarian organizations Terres des Hommes and Misereor. These organizations had set up base stations on the edge of the Amazon and in various small villages, which the medical team would visit once a month. The decisive turning point in my career came in 1980, when I worked at the Markus Hospital in Frankfurt under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Gottfried Lemperle. Prof. Dr Lemperle founded Interplast Germany, an international organization providing plastic surgery in developing countries, modeled entirely on the American organization Interplast, which he had previously become acquainted with. I was involved from the very beginning. My first trip on this mission took me to Bolivia, and from then on I was hooked – in the best possible way. Since then, I have taken part in countless missions (61 since 1983) in Africa, Asia and South America. I have undertaken many of these with the non-profit association Pro Interplast, which is based in Seligenstadt. A great deal has also been achieved with the organization Big Shoe. The company Medical Intervention Team, based in Frankfurt am Main, with whom I have been to Myanmar 12 times, has specialized in Ukraine in recent years, and I have also been there with them. Unfortunately, due to the political situation and the associated entry ban, Myanmar is not accessible even for humanitarian work, which is an absolute disaster.”
pro interplast Seligenstadt provides direct support in developing countries by sending teams of doctors on holiday with all the necessary equipment, dressings and medicines to perform free operations on people who would otherwise have no chance of being cured of their often painful or life-threatening illnesses. If treatment cannot be carried out locally, pro interplast brings patients to Germany in exceptional cases and covers the necessary expenses here as well. The aid projects are funded entirely by donations and allocations from fines. Membership fees (at least 36 euros per year) cover the low administrative costs of 2–3%, meaning that 100% of the donations are available for humanitarian work. This is made possible by the work of volunteers and support through donations in kind.
Donation account for bank transfers:
Volksbank Seligenstadt e.G.
IBAN: DE24 5069 2100 0000 2802 08
BIC: GENODE51SEL
Please send us your full name and address so that we can send you a donation receipt. Your details will not be passed on to third parties.
pro interplast Seligenstadt – Association for the Promotion of Medical and Social Aid in Developing Countries e.V. is registered at the Offenbach Local Court – the registry court – under association register no. 4539 and is recognized by the Offenbach am Main II tax office as a “non-profit and charitable” organization and authorized to issue donation receipts.
“Humanitarian work is a matter close to my heart. It is a way of passing on the gift of my medical knowledge to those who need it most. Even after setting up my practice in Frankfurt and Oberursel, I have never given up this work. There is no greater reward than seeing people start a new life after a successful operation.”
A high degree of organization is required to successfully carry out a medical mission abroad.
“I organize the respective missions with the aforementioned organizations and companies. To do this, I form teams – which, for example, corresponds to the basic structure of Interplast Germany – and use personal contacts in the respective country to identify a location for the mission. These contacts develop over time through the many missions that have already taken place and the exchanges in many different countries, whether Tanzania or Cambodia, where I was most recently at Easter 2024. Fortunately, as these contacts grow closer over time, the administrative burden is reduced, and with it the associated costs. As for the selection of patients, this is always quite individual. On my most recent trip to Cambodia, there was a highly dedicated social worker there who is commissioned by the Vatican to look after poor families. As a result, she is aware of cases requiring urgent treatment, which she was able to present very clearly in the form of documentation with photographs. It is, of course, helpful when someone is already well-versed in the local situation. However, on a first visit to a country, one often has to find one’s bearings first, and then, for example, church organizations help with patient recruitment via the radio or through advertisements and also take care of transport. “Once you’ve been there a few times, things naturally become much easier from an organisational point of view, and the missions become increasingly effective,” explains Dr Exner.
A wide variety of conditions are treated during missions abroad.
“As the name ‘Interplast’ suggests, the focus is on plastic surgery, and in particular on congenital malformations in children such as cleft lips, jaws and palates, as well as hand malformations. We always strive to treat the children in a single operation. In Ukraine, there are numerous cases of children with congenital drooping eyelids, which means that they usually cannot open one eye properly, often developing a wry neck as a result because they constantly have to turn their head, and naturally suffer greatly from the cosmetic problem. Then there are a great many cases resulting from accidents, particularly burns. Here we are often dealing with the most severe burn contractures, including in children who have often not been treated correctly, for example when the chin has fused to the chest or they can no longer move their arms properly because everything has shrunk together. In Germany, we have highly specialized departments with burns units where patients are cared for every day and skin grafts are performed or artificial skin is used. None of this exists in poor regions. We also deal with all manner of accident-related injuries, whether broken bones or open wounds, as well as tropical diseases that manifest on the skin’s surface,” says Dr Exner regarding the various conditions treated on site, adding:
“Over time, the range of medical specialities has been expanded, so that orthopedic surgeons, ophthalmologists and even oral surgeons are often on site to help. We also sometimes deal with tumors that result in large haemangiomas on the skin’s surface. Here, everything depends on the team and what is feasible, including in terms of time. After all, such a planned mission lasts a maximum of 2–3 weeks on average. Of course, it’s the case that you sometimes see patients you’ve treated once again years later. For instance, there was once a boy in Tanzania who came limping along with two clubfeet. He was wearing large rubber boots so that his feet had enough room. We operated on the boy, and we returned a year later. He came running toward us cheerfully and was very proud that he could wear trainers. Something like that naturally stays with you.”
Medical standards and local conditions are very different from what we are used to in Germany.
“Through our repeated missions and collaboration with local doctors, we have been able to gradually improve medical care. This is an important aspect and a key objective of my work: alongside providing emergency aid, I am always keen to train and empower local medical staff to work independently in the long term. This is often not always easy, as it requires a delicate touch, sometimes due to cultural and hierarchical factors. Local conditions are also often challenging in terms of hygiene. Added to this are the political challenges. As I mentioned at the start, Myanmar has been inaccessible since the military junta took power, and it looks as though the civil war will continue. One could say that the current medical situation is much like it was in 1947. And in the hospitals, only 2% of the staff remain. In Ukraine, hospitals are being upgraded by the West, but mainly for war victims, which has also given rise to an economic sector, for example for companies that manufacture prosthetics. I notice this clearly because it has become really difficult to treat ‘normal’ children without war injuries.
As for the necessary medical equipment, the anesthesia team always has to take everything with them, such as a bronchoscope, so that there are no nasty surprises on site and the patient being treated is properly monitored. Thus, there are clear guidelines for the anesthesia team, with checklists for the respective operations to be performed. Instruments usually have to be purchased at great expense using donations, or in some cases can be borrowed. As for the local medical staff, we naturally always try to involve them in our work. But here too, the concept of ‘work-life balance’ is taking hold, and empathy is rather limited, so that interest here is often motivated more by financial gain than by humanitarian concerns. I can choose my own team. Cambodia was quite time-consuming in this respect recently, as I had to spend about 1–2 hours a day on administrative work from December 2023 to April 2024 to ensure everything was well coordinated. Cambodia, for example, wanted all certificates from every team member to be certified. I usually put my team together within a week, and they always have to work well together. The bureaucratic work is usually the most tedious part. Sometimes there is also mistrust on the ground from the families of the children due to undergo surgery, which must also be taken into account. The coordinated missions always take place during personal holiday time, and around 9–10 days of surgery are feasible here, which is, however, very exhausting, and ultimately, one unfortunately does not have too many days of holiday.
As for the costs, Interplast provides donations and also organizes fundraising. The Cambodia fundraising campaign cost around 20,000 euros. Flight costs (economy class) are high, while hotel costs are kept to a minimum (although we doctors pay for our own accommodation on days when we are not working). Every doctor is committed to being economical. Unfortunately, we have noticed that the willingness to donate is generally declining.”
Outlook
“We mustn’t forget that there are many medical problems even without war. If we look at Myanmar, we see a complete disaster because medical care has dropped to zero. Ultimately, we don’t want to get involved in politics, but rather focus on providing individual help to each person. I like to follow my personal motto: ‘I throw a stone somewhere into the lake, and in the end the ripples reach everywhere’. And then it’s true that success is rewarding. I’m delighted when I see that the children and their families are happy and have received good treatment. That’s motivating. Unfortunately, there are still blank spots on the world map where medical aid is urgently needed. We see ourselves a bit like peace ambassadors and give something back. After all, we all know where some of the textiles in our shops come from and who picks the coffee for us,” explains Dr Exner, bringing our conversation to a close.
