The plastic and reconstructive surgeon, who hails from Taiwan, recently provided medical aid to the people of Gaza, Palestine, as part of a mission with Doctors Without Borders (also known as Médecins Sans Frontières or MSF).
On a visit to Kuala Lumpur recently, Wu shared that he had been slightly apprehensive to learn he would be working in one of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. But having always wanted to serve on a mission like this, he accepted the task.
Nothing, however, could have prepared him for what he was about to experience.
“In my practice, the people I usually treat are young men dealing with workplace and traffic accidents. But in Gaza, there were a large number of children, even babies and toddlers, with severe blast and explosion injuries. A lot of fractures and amputated limbs,” Wu, 42, recalled.
“MSF had provided us with a lot of information about what to expect. But to actually be in Gaza, and see everything in person – it was shocking.”
Wu served at Nasser Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in the Gaza Strip, during his mission from July to August. As a reconstructive surgeon, most of his service there involved treating war wounds and trauma.
And while he was mostly safe, it was difficult not to be affected by the conflict happening all around.
“There was the sound of machine guns, bombings and drones going on all the time. You never really get used to it. Sometimes the bombs go off so close to you that the windows rattle and your hair is blown by the wind,” Wu said.
The work itself was stressful owing to the sheer number of patients requiring treatment. Those with less severe injuries were usually asked to treat themselves at home, as the hospital simply did not have enough resources for everyone.
Wu often performed up to five surgeries a day; 10 if he stayed overnight.
Blackouts happened frequently, and the water supply was unreliable. There was also a lack of general air-conditioning: flies were aplenty, and traps had to be set up in the operating theatre.
An incident Wu will never forget involved one of his nurses, a father of many children, who received an urgent phone call before an operation. He then left abruptly and had to be replaced by another staff member.
“I later found him outside the operating theatre. He was on the floor, crying. His son, who was about four or five, had just been killed in a bombing,” Wu revealed. “It was truly sad.”
Conflict was so commonplace in Gaza that he soon learnt how to identify what kind of attacks were taking place just by the sounds in the air.
“I saw a lot of wounds with maggots inside. And even when these wounds heal, there’s often scarring, and disfiguration.”
In spite of all this, Wu was truly impressed by the spirit of the Gaza people, who were friendly and accommodating despite their circumstances. They would keep at their work with smiles and jokes, he said, despite recently having lost loved ones.
When his mission ended, it took some time for Wu to readjust to his old life. The doctor recalls how his first few days back in Taiwan had been rainy; every clap of thunder sounded like a bombing, and he had to actively remind himself he was no longer in Gaza.
“I was also filled with a sense of guilt,” Wu reflected. “For example, if I bought a drink and couldn’t finish it, I would feel bad. I’d remember the people out there who had so little in their lives.”
These experiences, however, have not weakened his resolve in the slightest: the courageous surgeon is already making plans to return next year.
Wu hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza immediately, and for food and medical supplies blockades there to be lifted.
“Sometimes, what we are doing seems so little when viewed against the scope of what’s happening. But, hopefully, it will make a difference,” he concluded.
Click here to learn more about Doctors Without Borders.