bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Hong Kong doctor Tse Tsz-wah found fulfilment in helping victims of the tsunami

After the Asian tsunami hit on December 26 last year, Tse Tsz-wah left his recently set-up private practice  to go to devastated Aceh, in Indonesia, with the international humanitarian aid organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

'I wanted to do something different, something special,' the 34-year-old physician says of his volunteer work.

His involvement with MSF began somewhat serendipitously. After completing his medical internship and working for several years in the emergency and internal medicine departments at United Christian Hospital, Hong Kong, he  was eager for a new challenge. He met an acquaintance who was involved with MSF, and was inspired to apply to the organisation.

'I wanted a challenge for myself,' Dr Tse says.

The  mission to Aceh came just three weeks after the Asian tsunami hit the area, leaving  thousands  dead, injured or homeless.

'People ask  why I went. I remember watching television and seeing people dying, and thinking: I have to go,' Dr Tse recalls.

Although he had opened a private practice with a surgeon only a few months before,  Dr Tse felt compelled to join the relief effort.

'I knew I would regret it if I didn't go,' he says.

Looking back, Dr Tse says that leaving the practice was a small sacrifice, and it was worth it.

'People [affected by the tsunami] really appreciated what we were doing.'

In his four weeks as part of the medical team with MSF Belgium, Dr Tse worked around the clock, treating survivors, setting up mobile clinics and administering measles vaccinations to children in refugee camps.

He recalls seeing children dying before his eyes from ailments as uncomplicated as diarrhoea and pneumonia - simply because they had not received timely medical attention.

Even doctors accustomed to dealing with death and disease found it emotionally gruelling to witness  destruction on such a massive scale.

'The experience was physically and mentally challenging,' Dr Tse says. 'We saw people who had suddenly lost everything - homes, families, livelihoods. When you see the real thing - and young people dying - it's terrible.'

The most demanding part of the mission was the 10 days Dr Tse spent with a helicopter mobile clinic, travelling along the east coast to reach survivors stranded in remote areas.  The physical conditions were harsh. The weather was blistering, water was in short supply, and the overall situation was emotionally charged.

Dr Tse and his colleagues transported drugs and wound-dressing materials, set up mobile clinics and surveyed the extent of the damage along the coast. In severe cases, the team flew patients to the nearest city for close medical attention.

One especially poignant memory in those 10 unforgettable days was treating an elderly Indonesian who had  fractured his leg during the tsunami. He had a large wound and infection had set in.

Dr Tse treated him in the mobile clinic, but the wound demanded further attention. When the medical team  told the man he had to be hospitalised,  he refused, insisting that traditional medicine could heal him.  Dr Tse says he still thinks of the man and hopes he survived.

It was not the first time Dr Tse had experienced  cultural beliefs getting in the way of his  medical volunteer work.

His first mission with MSF was to spend a year in an HIV/Aids treatment programme in Merauke, Indonesia, in May 2003.  Attempts to educate local staff and patients about management and disease prevention met with initial mistrust.

'Even something as simple as training staff to monitor a patient's temperature and blood pressure  was difficult,'  Dr Tse recalls.

With patience and cultural sensitivity, however, Dr Tse saw gradual changes.

'Slowly, you earn their trust. Patients get better and communities start understanding more about the disease.'

Working with MSF has been a deeply rewarding experience, Dr Tse says.

In his year in Merauke, he learned about different  cultures, met interesting people from around the world and acquired fresh medical skills and knowledge. The sacrifices  - loss of some income, being away from the family, and the difficulty of finding  jobs between missions - have been offset by other benefits.

'Yes, I gave up a little bit, but if that can help people, it's worth it. And I appreciate the experience that they gave me. It's give and take,' he says.

Still, Dr Tse is modest about the impact of his volunteer work.

'My effort is just a very tiny piece of the situation,' he insists.

For now, Dr Tse has gone back to his private practice to support himself financially, but he is always open to the option of setting out on another mission.

Back in the  daily routine of Hong Kong life, the doctor finds that the lessons he learned from his work in the field still reverberate.

'I am more appreciative of what I have, I am generally more optimistic,' he says. 'That year in Merauke changed the way I see things, changed my mentality. And that will last forever.'



Mission  of love