These Palestinians await food from aid organisations; the territory is experiencing famine with little relief in sight due to the danger and difficulties of getting food transported in. — Photos: AFP
One reason for fasting during Ramadan is to empathise with the less fortunate.
Thirst and hunger remain abstract concepts unless personally experienced.
We in Malaysia are generally blessed – just witness the numerous Ramadan buffets, as well as lavish Raya open houses.
Unfortunately, these blessings are not universal.
I was humbled, and certainly saddened, when I recently met Dr Yuko Nakajima, president of the Japanese branch of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), also known in English as Doctors Without Borders.
An anaesthesiologist, who also trained in emergency medicine at Yale University in the United States, she had recently led an MSF team at Nasser Hospital in Gaza.
Despite having been to more than a dozen conflict zones, Dr Nakajima described her experience in Gaza as being unprecedented in terms of damage and destruction.
She spoke calmly, but the shock and horror in her narration was evident: “The extent of injuries are so severe, the burns are some you have never seen before...”
So far, more than 35,000 individuals have been murdered in this genocide, with the majority being women and children.
More than 70,000 have been injured, and this does not include the tens of thousands who are believed to be buried in the rubble of houses, shops and shelters that have been bombed in the area.
‘Nowhere is safe’
Dr Nakajima said that unlike previous war zones – and against all international protocol – medical facilities have been targeted as well.
Israeli military forces claim that they are doing so because Hamas is using the hospitals as command centres and weapons stores.
Approximately 200 humanitarian aid workers have been murdered, including her MSF colleagues.
Of the 36 hospitals within Gaza, only 12 remain.
These are functioning at suboptimal levels and are struggling to cope with the excess number of patients.
Individuals arrive with a variety of injuries, from burns and shrapnel wounds to amputations and uncontrollable bleeding.
Others are dead on arrival.
“When there’s an airstrike, there’s a lot of injured people and there’ll be an influx of people.
“Twenty patients would come in, but maybe 10 are already dead,” Dr Nakajima said.
One of the more poignant points she shared was the use of an acronym in medical notes: “WCNSF”.
This stands for “wounded child, no surviving family”.
The use of such an acronym reflects how common an occurrence it has became.
As doctors, we are trained to deal with emergencies: stabilise the patient, intervene as necessary, update the family, help recovery, and then discharge from hospital.
Dr Nakajima had to deal with situations where children had no mothers to comfort them, no fathers to lean on for strength, and no homes to return to.
Her medical colleagues also faced challenges from lack of equipment.
Those available were often malfunctioning.
For example, their hospital only had two functioning dialysis machines.
They were also subject to external disruptions, e.g. episodes of power failure would lead to surgeons performing operations under the light from mobile phones.
No end to the starvation
In a country with 1.7 million displaced citizens and buildings reduced to rubble, it is unsurprising that even healthy individuals succumb to disease.
MSF staff had only one meal a day, and they counted themselves lucky.
Others had to scrape together items to make meals in unsanitary conditions, leading to an increase in infectious diseases.
Every single aid organisation has warned of famine in Gaza – a situation worsened by the inability of these agencies to bring in food due to movement restrictions and ongoing attacks by occupying forces.
Unlike we who fast for Ramadan, this hunger has no end in sight.
A news article recently stated that: “Even if the war in Gaza ended tomorrow, for some of the Palestinian territory’s children, it would not help.
“Hunger and malnutrition have already claimed hundreds, if not more, young lives, and for many more, it may be too late to reverse the excruciating toll that starvation takes on small, growing bodies.”
The report adds that: “Malnutrition is spreading at record pace among children, according to the World Food Programme.
“More than 90% of young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women are subsisting on two or fewer food groups – mainly bread – with no access to fruit, vegetables, milk or proteins.
“Almost half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million is under 18, and the effects of starvation may follow those who survive for the rest of their lives: their brains and bodies, without the nutrients needed for growth, cannot properly develop, leading to health problems such as poor eyesight and learning difficulties later in life.”
Show your care
In his acceptance speech on behalf of MSF for the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize, the then MSF International Council president Dr James Orbinski said: “We are not sure that words can always save lives, but we know that silence can certainly kill.”
Doctors generally want to do what is best for their patients.
Those who have borne witness to atrocities on the ground also understand the importance of sharing their stories, lest the world forgets about the humanitarian catastrophes in places like Gaza.
It is not an understatement to say that the situation in Gaza is the gravest humanitarian disaster our generation has seen.
And let it not be that one day we ask ourselves: “What did we do to help?”
While most of us are unable to perform the deeds of people like Dr Nakajima, there are other ways to contribute.
We can start by caring.
The manifestation of this can happen in a variety of ways, from sharing the issue with friends and loved ones, to public advocacy.
For those who are fortunate to have more, there is also the option of donating to legitimate entities such as MSF (https://donate.doctorswithoutborders-apac.org)
Dr Helmy Haja Mydin is a consultant respiratory physician and Social & Economic Research Initiative senior policy advisor. For further information, email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
