ROANOKE, Va. – A group of Virginia Tech Carilion students heard stories of heroism and terror from a panel of healthcare workers who took mission trips to Gaza.
The panelists include anesthesiologist Dr. Abdullah Brown, OR and ER nurse Lana, and urologist Dr. Mazen Hasan.
Each of them are active members of Doctors Against Genocide, a group of healthcare workers that have been organizing actions and speaking with federal government officials in bringing a ceasefire in Gaza.
The stories shared mentioned the chaos in Gaza during the war. Hospitals filled with patients, a lack of resources and people to help.
Dr. Abdullah Brown has been to many war zones to help but nothing compared to the scenes in Gaza.
“We’re doctors right, we’re surgeons, we’re anesthesiologists, this is where we live is in the operating room. We’re looking at wounds there in Gaza and we don’t understand what causes these wounds,” Dr. Brown said. “We’ll find a bullet, the surgeon will find a bullet but the wounds are unlike any bullet wounds we’re familiar with. The destruction, the burns...unlike anything we’ve seen.”
Until Friday, Carilion Clinic and Virginia Tech School of Medicine had not held a large-scale event addressing the attack on healthcare workers in Gaza.