A Filipina doctor has chosen to stay in Afghanistan to provide medical services to patients in need despite the danger of unrest in that country.
“People need doctors in these places. Kung walang pupunta, talagang walang tutulong sa kanila. Yung organization namin, yung Doctors without Borders, pumupunta kami kung saan talaga kinakailangan ang serbisyo namin,” said Dr. Evangeline Cua.
Cua’s group is currently in Kunduz City in Afghanistan.
“Dumating ako dito August 1 lang po. Galing po ako ng Yemen tapos umuwi lang ng 2 weeks sa Pilipinas for a break, then pumunta na rin dito. General surgeon po ako, so every three months I go to different locations mostly yung may mga active conflict, may war areas,” said Cua.
In 2013, she volunteered with Doctors without Borders when the group headed for a project in Eastern Samar after typhoon Yolanda.
“I applied to become and international worker. Then 2015, nag-start na ako going to different places. First three missions ko dito rin sa Afghanistan, iba’t ibang city,” she said.
In the Lingkod Kapamilya program on TeleRadyo, Cua shared the dangers she went through in performing his job.
Filipina doctor continues service in Afghanistan
“Afghanistan, first mission ko po, binomba ng US. Nag-air strike ang US sa hospital namin. I was doing a surgery then. Madaling araw, nag-oopera ako. Tapos binomba nila, airstrike. Forty-two people died inside the hospital,” she said.
Although she ran to find a safe place to hide, the nurse who was with her in the operating room was not lucky. The person assisting his other nurse was shot. Aside from the nurses, the hospital director was also killed in that attack.
“Very difficult after makontrol ng Taliban yung Afghanistan kasi the banks are closed. Hindi nila ma-access yung pera nila. Ang hirap bumili ng pagkain. Hindi ka makapagbiyahe kasi sira yung mga roads, nasira during the fighting. Tapos armed men are everywhere,” she said.
Although Taliban leaders have promised peace and order, she said many fears would not go away.
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