Ebola in Sierra Leone: battling sadness, fear and
disgust on the frontline
An MSF psychologist reveals the trauma of dealing with
the Ebola outbreak for medics, cleaners and the families of the dead
MSF Medecins Sans Frontiers
In the USA
Doctors without Borders
Médecins Sans
Frontières (MSF) was founded in 1971 in France by a group of doctors and
journalists in the wake of war and famine in Biafra. Their aim was to establish
an independent organization that focuses on delivering emergency medicine aid
quickly, effectively and impartially.
Dr Bernard
Kouchner who was to become Foreign Minister of France was one of the founding
members, so was a French Ambassador to Senegal.
They have
about 30 000 workers in about 20 countries around the world. They are at places
where emergency care is needed and where medical care does not exist and also
take on socially responsible projects such as Rape Victims in Honduras,
Refugees in the Sea, setting up field hospitals in war zones and saving lives.
It was
recently announced that 1000th survivor of Ebola epidemic was
released by MSF from their centre in Liberia.
I wanted to
follow up on the story and what I found was even more heartbreaking. This
increased my esteem for these volunteers, very well qualified in their fields,
who leave their comfortable lives and put their lives on line.
No other
single country, let alone a poor and small one like CUBA, can hold a candle to
the fire of enthusiasm for International Humanitarian Medicine of CUBA.
Currently about 79 000 doctors are serving around 69 countries in the
developing world, in places so remote that many people have not heard of them:
Tuvalu, Timor Leste, Kiribati, CAR. The list is long. Cuba also educates about
18000 students at their different medical schools so that they can go back to
the poorer countries they came from, in Africa, Latin America, Asia and
Oceania.
CUBA has sent
165 health professionals, all of them volunteers and plan to send another 300
to the front line to combat Ebola epidemic. The notice for volunteers went out
and this is a response from a friend of mine, who is a Psychologist in Baracoa,
Cuba
aquí es el mensaje:
Creo Que la Ayuda y Voluntad de los cubanos
en Sierra Leona es de Una Verdadera Misión, y Siento Mucho, Mucho, Mucho, sin
Tener La Oportunidad de Poder ir, y HACER Lo Que REALMENTE nos humaniza: el
Contacto Con Otros Seres necesitados. Yo estaria muy orgullosa, ogullosa
REALMENTE, Si Fuera Médico y Pudiera ir, desde el Fondo d emi Corazón.
La
escritora es una mujer, de 29 años, una madre y embarazada, y un psicóloga
líder en Baracoa, Cuba.
When her
friend, who is also a Psychologist was asked to volunteer, my dear friend
counseled her and said: It would be a great honour for any of us Cubans to
serve these people who need our help.
I have always
worked with Psychologists in my work and research. After realizing that a degree in medicine
alone was not sufficient to look after the Indians, I went back to London to
study Anthropology, so that my own humanitarian vision for the Indians could
turn away from the biomedical, machine model to a much more culturally
sensitive, human model. I am very lucky to have as good friends the staff at
the Psychology Unit of the National Institute of Endocrinology in La Habana,
Cuba and I have learned so much from them, especially about the Psychological
aspects of Suffering from Chronic Illnesses, especially Diabetes and
Hypertension and their complications.
Do we need
Psychologists and Anthropologists to combat humanitarian crises whether in Africa
such as Ebola Epidemic or at home, to deal with the suffering of patients with
Cancer and Diabetes and other illnesses?
EMPHATICALLY
YES!
I will write a
longer blog about MSF Psychologist from Trondheim, Norway,
Ane Bjøru Fjeldsæter whose blogs can read at The Guardian UK and also
about the 1000th Ebola survivor at the MSF treatment Centre in
Liberia!
After reading
Ane, you would realize how much a human approach rather than a mechanical
approach can help the suffering of patients with any sort of illness or
disease.
I dedicate this to my friends and colleagues in CUBA
Rosa Maria LG, Loraine L, Adriana A, Madeline M, Baby F, Yanetsy C and Cari G.
