Our A&E Consultant, Amjid Mohammed has worked in emergency medicine for almost 30 years. Here, he reflects on his experience of working in a hospital in an active warzone in Lebanon last November.

“My first time returning from providing urgent medical care in an active warzone in Lebanon has left me with a renewed perspective of what is important and how we view emergency medicine in our NHS.

“Volunteering to support the medical response to international disasters has been a ‘side hustle’ of mine for some years now, alongside my day job as a consultant in emergency medicine. I’ve helped in the aftermath of earthquakes in Indonesia, Pakistan, Haiti, China and other international disasters. Compared to working in a natural disaster zone, working in an active war zone is a very different proposition The acuity and resulting injuries are much more stark and long lasting.

“For me, my main purpose was to be helpful, lending my expertise where I could be most useful. From resus and anaesthesia through to surgical activity in theatres and post-operative care, the skills I’ve developed from my emergency medicine background were there to support wherever I was needed.

“I have memories that will stay with me forever. Reflecting back, one of the most emotive was a 13-year-old girl who had come into the hospital who had been shot in the femoral artery in her leg. She was close to losing her life. We didn’t have ready access to blood, and we didn’t have many units of blood available to be able to help her in the way we would in the NHS – that was a real moment for me. But using the limited resource we had, we did everything we could for her, and thankfully two days later, we managed to literally get her back on her feet.

“In those situations, all you think about is understanding what has happened to that person and getting to the solution as quickly and as safely as we can. It’s care in the simplest terms and goes back to the core of why many of us trained to be doctors.

“It was humbling and fulfilling getting to follow the patient journey through, something that you don’t often get to see when you work in emergency medicine

“When you come back from a warzone there is no doubt that your perspective shifts. Firstly, it really does highlight what an amazing service we have in the NHS and the fantastic resource that we have at hand. We have amazing people, capacity and capabilities.

But it also highlights for me some frustrations. My experience in Lebanon has shown how much you can do for your patients, with so very little. It is that focus on the outcome for the patient which is essential. You see past the blockers, and just get it done, working within the limited resources you have, to do whatever you can, to help the person in front of you in that moment, regardless of their background or circumstances. Perhaps there are lessons there for all of us.

“Going to Lebanon was an amazing experience for me. I am left in awe at the overwhelming strength and resilience of the people in Lebanon, particularly the younger generation. It is truly an amazing place, with amazing people, whose experiences we can all learn from.”