Taiwanese surgeon reflects on harrowing experience while treating war victims in Gaza

KUALA LUMPUR - Dr. Wu Yi-chun, a seasoned plastic and reconstructive surgeon from Taiwan, has firsthand accounts of the extreme hardships faced by Palestinians in southern Gaza.

The 42-year-old volunteered with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) throughout July at the trauma orthopaedic and burn unit of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, a facility serving a community severely impacted by ongoing conflict and infrastructure challenges.

With 12 years of medical experience, Dr Wu was prepared for demanding conditions, yet the situation in Gaza exceeded his expectations.

By the time he arrived, MSF had managed to partially restore the unit, but the conditions remained dire. The hospital struggled with deteriorating infrastructure, unreliable sewer and water systems, and frequent power outages, affecting patient care and safety.

Dr Wu’s commitment to serving those in desperate need drove him to Gaza, where his expertise became crucial in a region lacking sufficient medical professionals.

"The hardships here go beyond words," he shared, noting that Palestinians in Khan Yunis are deprived of basic necessities, including secure housing and reliable medical facilities.

The scale of the crisis became evident as he described the overwhelming number of patients. Despite these harsh conditions, the need for surgeries never ceased.

"MSF had prepared us for the types of injuries we would be treating, but seeing it in person was shocking,"

"The injuries were not just severe; they were unlike anything I had ever seen. There were a large number of children, many of them toddlers, with open fractures, mutilated limbs, and severe burns covering their faces, torsos, and limbs," he recalled.

Stationed at Nasser Hospital, Dr Wu described the unreliable water supply and intermittent air conditioning, even in the operating theatre, where low temperatures are crucial to prevent infections.

"It’s amazing to imagine a hospital having blackouts. We had to wear surgical gowns while sweating inside, and flies were everywhere, necessitating fly traps in the operating room. Basic surgical materials and equipment were lacking in many ways,” he said.

He explained that while the hospital had a generator, fuel blockades meant it could only be used in certain areas, such as the operating theatre, with the lights in the hospital wards and hallways going out several times a day.

When asked about his safety, he admitted that the area was highly volatile, with no truly safe zone in Gaza.

Though MSF had prepared him, the constant reality of hearing bombings, fighter jets, machine guns from Apache helicopters, and drones hovering 24/7 served as a persistent reminder that they were in a war zone.

"You can’t get used to it. It's something you expect and try to get used to, but every time a bomb goes off, it makes you jump. Sometimes it’s so close that the windows rattle, and the wind blast blows your hair," he said

He added that at night, the area was lit up by constant flashes from bombardments, while during the day, the persistent hum of drones could be heard overhead.

Dr Wu was also asked if the patients he treated could recover fully with reconstructive surgery which he replied that due to the severity of the injuries, many could not fully recover.

"If you have an open fracture, normally we would use something called an internal fixation, which means a metal plate inside the body,"

"But due to poor hygiene, we could only perform external fixation, with metal plates placed outside the body, making the fixation less effective,” he explained.

He added that many of the children suffered from severe soft tissue injuries, with large portions of muscle or skin missing, leading to lifelong disfigurement and impaired limb function.

"So they can't recover fully because there's a lot of nerve injuries. So the reconstruction surgery will only mean that we can try to cover the wound and I've seen a lot of the wounds with maggots inside because the flies just go around just lay eggs on the wounds,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Wu mentioned that most of the patients in Gaza couldn’t treat their wounds at home because they had no homes. They were living in tents and sometimes had no water to even clean their wounds to apply fresh dressings. This dire situation forced them to come to the hospital for basic wound care.

"The hospital couldn't handle the number of patients. Those with minor injuries had to go home and return only for their wound dressings. Only the most severe cases stayed, and even those numbers were staggering,” he said.

Moreover, Dr Wu noted that the lack of modern surgical equipment forced him and other doctors there to resort to traditional surgical methods.

He mentioned that many advanced plastic reconstructive procedures, like microsurgery, could not be performed, and doctors had to rely on techniques from 20 or 30 years ago.

Having returned since August from his one-month stay in Gaza, Dr Wu was asked if he would go back. Without hesitation, he replied, "Yes. I am returning next year.”

While his exact timeline is uncertain, he intends to go back after the Chinese New Year.

"If they need me, I will go. It’s my responsibility to continue to offer my expertise where it’s most needed,” he said, reaffirming his commitment to helping those in Gaza. - BERNAMA