The Afghan surgeon, Dr. Omar Haroon, runs a renowned practice for aesthetic surgery in Zurich. But when his homeland falls into the hands of the Taliban, he knows that he has to take action.
Switzerland / Afghanistan – The takeover of power by the extreme Islamist Taliban in August 2021 unleashed a worldwide shock. The pictures of their reign of terror show that the circumstances in the country are critical. Dr. Omar Haroon is from Afghanistan and knows what it feels like to grow up in poverty and insecurity. The Swiss-based cosmetic surgeon came to Germany as the son of an Afghan refugee family and for a long time only had to get by with the bare essentials. This is exactly why he wants to give something back to his compatriots with the help of donations.
Omar Haroon lives a very different life than before. Together with his practice partner Dr. Christian Niehus runs the renowned “Praxis am Zeltweg” for aesthetic surgery in the center of Zurich. There he rejuvenates his patients: inside with operative and non-operative interventions. But the 36-year-old is currently preoccupied with the images of the Taliban reign of terror in Afghanistan. “It was the first time that I felt such a strong bond with my country,” says Haroon.
Shortly before his birthday, he had a special idea: The surgeon did not want gifts from friends and family, but rather donations for the people in Afghanistan. The initially small action turned into an ever-growing project. He is now working with Unicef Switzerland and is planning further projects.
Afghanistan: Surgeon Omar Haroon comes to Germany as a refugee
Before the Afghan civil war broke out in 1989, Haroon’s father was still a diplomat in the Czech Republic. The family lived in Prague at the time, but then returned to Afghanistan for the time being. When the war broke out a short time later, the family had to leave their home country and fled to Germany. Omar Haroon spent most of his childhood and youth in Hanover. It was clear to him early on that he wanted to make the world a better place and become a doctor. Even in kindergarten he painted pictures of himself in a white coat. His greatest role model was Christiaan Barnard, a South African heart surgeon who achieved the first heart transplant. Haroon’s dream of becoming a heart surgeon was derived from this.
However, when Omar Haroon traveled to Cape Town while studying medicine, his mentor Des Fernandes, one of the most famous plastic surgeons in the world, showed him how multifaceted aesthetic surgery is. Omar Haroon was able to work independently, let his creativity run free and help people feel more comfortable in their own skin. He dedicated himself to his dream and went through various stations in Brazil, Cape Town and India, which he regards as the “best decision” of his life. Today Omar Haroon is co-owner of the cosmetic surgery “Praxis am Zeltweg”. He is particularly proud of the scarless facelift and pony tail lift. He is the only surgeon besides his mentor who uses this procedure in the form.
Afghan doctor Omar Haroon runs several companies
A special moment for Haroon was treating a patient with facial paralysis that she suffered after she was born. After almost 30 years of searching for a suitable method, she discovered the special technique of the Scarless Facelift Method, with which Haroon finally operated. When she saw herself in the mirror for the first time after the operation, she had tears in her eyes with joy and a smile on her face for the first time in a long time. “Moments like that give you a lot back,” says Haroon. In order to be able to help other people with malformations, he wants to operate on newborn children abroad with congenital cleft lip and palate.
In addition to his job in aesthetic practice, Haroon is the co-founder of the Swiss start-up “HAIR & SKIN”. This is a chain of clinics for hair transplantation and autologous blood therapy for the scalp and face. The doctors carry out autologous blood treatments for the skin of the head and face in order to stimulate cell renewal and to preserve youthfulness. There are now over 30 specialists working in the seven practices in Switzerland. Omar Haroon has medical responsibility there.
Furthermore, Haroon works as a “Key Opinion Leader” for two of the largest aesthetic pharmaceutical companies, holds lectures for surgeons and trains doctors nationally and internationally in the field of minimally invasive aesthetic facial treatments. In addition, during his medical studies he co-founded the company Medtest, in which he prepares students for the admissions process for medical studies in Austria and Switzerland. For Haroon, his work is very diverse and always exciting. Because during the week he has so different tasks that it never becomes monotonous for him.
Afghan doctor Omar Haroon: Cooperation with Unicef Switzerland due to the takeover of the Taliban
But suddenly there was a turning point in August 2021. Omar Haroon realized that other things than work are also important in life. Because a few days before his birthday, the extreme Islamist Taliban took power in Afghanistan. “I’ve never had sleep problems,” says Haroon. “But it was the first time that I couldn’t sleep at night. He had long felt a strong bond with his homeland, especially because he realized that he was incredibly lucky to be able to flee Afghanistan. “Otherwise we would have stood at the airport.” Omar Haroon was deeply affected: “It is like a feeling of powerlessness that another generation is being robbed of its future and you are sitting here and cannot do anything.” When he saw that the situation was always changing further came to a head, he began “like crazy to donate everywhere”.
When that wasn’t enough for him, Haroon asked his friends not to give him anything for his birthday, but rather to give the money to those in need in Afghanistan. His fundraising campaign should raise an amount of at least 5,000 Swiss francs. However, when the surgeon realized that this amount was being reached quickly, he set himself a new goal. First 10,000 and then 20,000 Swiss Francs.
He brought Bettina Junker, CEO of Unicef Switzerland, on board, who acted as the contact person for the campaign. On his Instagram account with almost 10,000 followers, he pushed the campaign, made advertising and organized a benefit event at which Swiss artists presented and sold their works. At the same time he offered hyaluron and botox injections for a reduced price and donated the proceeds to Afghanistan. Finally he reached the target amount of 20,000 francs. The money was invested in projects such as the provision of ready-to-use therapeutic food for children under five years of age, polio vaccinations and support for the construction of new schools.
Afghan doctor Omar Haroon is planning further aid projects in the future
“Injustice drives me crazy,” says Omar Haroon. The poverty in Afghanistan on the one hand and the excess of luxury in the western countries on the other make him angry. This is exactly why he used to be with the young Social Democrats. However, because that was not the right way for him, he decided to support humanitarian projects independently of a party in order to make at least a small contribution. His goal is to build schools and hospitals in Africa and Afghanistan, to provide education for children and to distribute scholarships so that children without opportunities can later study. He also wants to support families, “even if that is currently more difficult to enforce in Afghanistan.”
His great wish is to have more time for his family and friends in spite of his many activities. He wants to invest in more voluntary projects and at the same time not to lose focus in his professional life in order to become the most renowned cosmetic surgeon in Switzerland. Nevertheless, Omar Haroon also wants to have more time for himself. (Ares Abasi)
