Meet the GMU doctor who opted to heal war pains
ajman — WEDAD ABooD YEsEr GrADuAtED From GulF MEDICAl UnIvErsIty (GMU), AJmAn, In 2010 AnD stArtED lookInG For A JoB In NGOs AnD HumAnItArIAn orGAnIsAtIons. SHE lovED voluntEErInG work.
AltHouGH nonE oF tHE orGAnIsAtIons wErE rEADy to GIvE A FrEsH GrADuAtE A JoB, It wAs tHE InnumErABlE voluntEErInG AssIGnmEnts on WEDAD’s CV tHAt lAnDED HEr A JoB wItH tHE IntErnAtIonAl mEDICAl HumAnItArIAn orGAnIsAtIon, DoCtors WItHout BorDErs. “THE rEprEsEntAtIvE From tHE orGAnIsAtIon AskED mE IF I wAs wIllInG to work In wAr-torn ArEAs or ConflICt zonEs, AnD I sAID yEs.”
WEDAD, wHo Is A YEmEnI But BrouGHt up In tHE UAE, JoInED DoCtors WItHout BorDErs In 2010 AnD wAs AssIGnED to work In YEmEn.”
DoCtors WItHout BorDErs wAs runnInG A prImAry HEAltHCArE CEntrE For surGErIEs In A rEmotE vIllAGE In tHE nortH oF YEmEn tHEn. “THE orGAnIsAtIon wAs tAkInG ovEr A sEConD lEvEl HospItAl AnD I CAmE As A mEDICAl DoCtor. It wAs An InCrEDIBly touGH ExpErIEnCE As I wAs ComInG From suCH A sAFE EnvIronmEnt oF tHE UAE, wHErE I HAvE lIvED sInCE 1986. AnD tHIs wAs tHE first tImE I rEturnED to my Country.
“I wAs ExpErIEnCInG FEAr For tHE first tImE tHErE. WE wErE IsolAtED In Just A CompounD AnD woulD Just BE tAkEn to tHE HospItAl AnD tHEn BACk to our CompounD. AnD For tHE first tImE, I sAw CAsEs oF mAlnutrItIon, mAlArIA, tropICAl DIsEAsEs, wHICH wE HAD only rEAD ABout In Books. At tImEs, I wAs solEly rEsponsIBlE to trEAt tHE vICtIms oF wAr.
WEDAD CAmE BACk to tHE UAE tHE nExt yEAr. But HEr pAssIon For tHE voluntEErInG work Got notICED AnD sHE wAs CAllED AGAIn to AnotHEr wAr-torn ArEA. THIs tImE It wAs LIByA. For Almost 16 montHs, sHE stAyED In LIByA, supportInG tHE mEDICAl HEAltH CEntrE For trEAtInG vICtIms oF torturE, sExuAl vIolEnCE AnD ConflICt.
Humanitarian work is the soul of medicine
“WHEn I wAs GrADuAtInG, I HAD AlwAys tHouGHt tHAt workInG As A DoCtor woulD mEAn workInG In A FAnCy ClInIC. But lEt mE tEll you, mEDICInE Is BEyonD tHAt. HumAnItArIAn work Is tHE soul oF mEDICInE. I rEAlIsED tHE vAluE oF wHAt I HAD lEArnt only wHEn I ExpErIEnCED It. I rEAlIsED tHAt tHIs Is wHAt tHEy wAntED us to Do. THIs Is wHAt tHEy EquIppED us For AnD tHAt’s wHEn tHE rEAlIty oF BEInG A DoCtor HIt mE.”
WEDAD’s mEssAGE to All: “IF you CAnnot Do HumAnItArIAn work (At Any lEvEl) In your DAIly Busy lIFE, tHEn Do It on your AnnuAl lEAvE. THIs Is tHE most sAtIsFyInG work you wIll EvEr HAvE DonE. OnCE you ComE BACk to your HomE From suCH A voluntEErInG work, you wIll HAvE tHE BEst slEEp EvEr. A slEEp oF pEACE AnD sAtIsFACtIon oF HElpInG somEonE you nEvEr knEw BEForE AnD mAy not EvEr know.
WEDAD wAs HonourED At tHE GMU AlumnI mEEt on SunDAy For HEr HumAnItArIAn work.