A blind date with a war land!

After completing my medical education I began working in a hospital. It was a corporate hospital, salary was good, working environment was sublime yet I was not satisfied.

So, after about a year, I switched to a government setup in the hope of earning the satisfaction I wanted to achieve while serving others. I was able to save lives and help people but something within me still felt unsated.

Months went by; I carried on with my work of serving the humanity as a doctor. Often, I would question myself, do I want to limit myself to only this? How and where should I find the higher purpose of my existence?!

I desired serving those who needed me the most. I didn’t want to be confined to a singular geographic location. I wanted to reach out to the world, to heal across borders and countries. To heal the world. To serve, irrespective of race or nationality. To #SayYesToTheWorld of new possibilities, endless serving, of exploring the world, a thrill that would shake and make the ground realities of my beliefs.

 It was an evening of June 2011. After my daily rounds, I sat in the cafeteria sipping a cup of a strongly brewed latte, casually scrolling through my mail-box. A job offer jumped out at me. It was from an international medical NGO (non-government organisation) which works in countries afflicted by war and endemic diseases. They call it Médecins Sans Frontières - ‘Doctors Without Borders’.

The feeling of being able to provide aid in areas affected by war and calamities overwhelmed me. I remembered words of the Hippocratic Oath taken at the time of graduation

“I will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, gender, politics, socioeconomic standing, or sexual orientation to intervene between my duty and my patient..”

It took many months to convince my family and friends. Finally their opposition dampened on seeing my desire to be a humanitarian instead of a doctor. I had found my way and I was not willing to give up on it at any cost.

In 2011, a civil war broke out in Libya. A year later, after the war was seemingly over, I was deployed as a field doctor there along with a group of 40 other people which included doctors like me, nurses and other paramedical staff.

For those who do not know, Libya is a country in North Africa bordered by Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south and Algeria and Tunisia to the west. source : here

I packed my bags and the next thing I remember, I was standing at a place I had absolutely no clue about.

The place was Tripoli, capital of Libya. It is one of the oldest cities of the world, formed around 7tth century B.C. It had been under the rule of Romans, Muslims, Spanish, Ottomans and Italians through centuries, so a mix of all these cultures was quite evident. Desert forms major part of the terrain and temperature can be extreme in most of the areas. source : here

Mitiga International Airport at Tripoli, capital of Libya. Picture source:  HERE

 In my heart, I felt exhilarated and anxious at the same time.

I had said yes to a world full of mysteries. It was a blind date, not build out of mushy romance or pleasant evenings.  This blind date was built on rubble of a war land and evenings soaked in blood and turmoil.

Whenever we go on a trip we ensure of all things that would make our stay comfortable and luxurious and here I was on a trip to a place facing the after-math of a civil war, of lives lost and epidemics waiting to break out.

My stay in Libya lasted for about 8 months.

Each day was a mystery. War had literally destroyed the lives of the inhabitants of this lively land. So many people had lost their lives and those who survived were so traumatized that their tales were lost in the sound of blast and red of the blood. Majority of them suffered from what is known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) and Depression.

MSF staff (Primarily psychologists and psychiatrists) at work in Libya.
Picture source : HERE

Their mental health was severely compromised. Their experiences were raw and pain is but a trivial word for it. Each morning, I would sit in my camp and try my best to help patients. They needed not just medicine but solace and assurance of safety.

There were also patients who suffered from complications of various injuries afflicted during the war time.

I remember, one afternoon a patient arrived in our camp. He was almost torn to pieces by one of the bombs that had dropped near his house previously. Now, his sutures were infected and he could die of septic shock any moment. His breathing was faint so our team frantically started  working on him. Giving blood, I.V fluids, cleaning the wounds, trying to get the fever down to normal.

After 3 hours, we were finally able to stabilize him! I can never forget how happy I felt at that moment.

When I landed in Libya, I was a complete stranger. I had no idea what those eight months would bring to me. There were dangers of a war breaking out again, of people attacking us. Also, I did not understand the language of people, I was unfamiliar with the roads (which were mostly rubble by then). But they still were the paths that had brought me there and had the potential to take me somewhere.

I saw and treated numerous patients, conversed with their attendants but it was a teenager ‘Lizbah’, who actually showed me the soul of Tripoli. She made me realize that even after a war, Tripoli had so much to offer and that tragedy had added to the history which began in the Roman ruins of 7^th century B.C.

Lizbah’s father had died in the civil war bombings and her mother was suffering from Depression. A mental health personnel was helping her mother cope up with the loss. Lizbah used to accompany her mother. She became my friend after a few conversations we had during her camp visits. We did not understand each other’s language and a translator from our organisation helped us communicate.

Through the eyes of Lizbah, I saw not just Tripoli but the whole of Libya. She was a student of history at the University of Tripoli which provides free education to its inhabitants.

I happened to visit a few museums located in the city which narrated in vivid detail the historical era of Romans, Ottomans and Islam. I particularly liked the Red Castle museum.

Lizbah also took me to the 'Bazaar' and I was amazed and impressed by the way the locals had rebuilt themselves after such a catastrophic war.

The silver writing in Arabic reads: The Museum of Assaraya Alhamra.The name Assaraya Alhamra means "The Red Castle" or "The Red Fort".

Source HERE

The day before I left for India, Lizbah invited me to her house. It was heartening to see that her mother was coming out from the clutches of Depression and had cooked a savory Libyan meal for our team.

Their hospitality, warmth and respect will forever be etched in my heart.

I had gone to Libya as a complete stranger. Unknown of what was to unfold. This trip to Tripoli transformed me completely. On most days, at that camp in Tripoli which did not even have bare necessities, I slept in peace. Some nights, when I lay awake remembering my life and loved ones back in India, I felt achieving the satisfaction I had yearned for. 

This journey to Libya had been more than just another enriching experience. It was a journey of self exploration and self fulfillment.

From my departure to my arrival, I had completed a full circle. To call this trip a blind date with #TheBlindList would be quite apt. An unfamiliar destination had become my most memorable experience till date. I fell in love with Lizbah, her mother’s hospitality, unshakable strength of the people of Libya, my team mates who taught me selflessness and hard work, patients who showed the zeal to get back to life and work.

 Humbled and proud of serving as a ‘Doctor without Border’, I came back home a few months ago.

But, Libya has aroused a love for the world within me that is undying. Next week, I will be saying yes to another part of this enchanting world.
 It will be Mexico this time, where we will be helping people who have been victims of extreme violence, torture and ill treatment.



The bucket list? To serve, heal, inspire and explore!

This post has been written for #TheBlindList contest hosted by Indiblogger and Lufthansa India.

For more details, check out this link : Lufthansa India and this beautiful video:

Note: Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF), an International humanitarian medical organisation has been present in Libya since 2011. They are providing assistance to areas affected by the Libyan conflict, including the city of Tripoli. ( read here). 
    This however, is a work of fiction and the writer has no association with MSF.