Recently, at least two Canadian doctors have chosen to go to Syria to help treat the immense volume of civilians injured during the violence of the civil war. They have been smuggling essential medical supplies to hospitals, as well as briefly training medics in emergency first aid, so as to deal with the number of patients in the most efficient way.
Although some are applauding the doctors for risking their careers and lives to help those is great need, Canadian backlash has been immense. The primary argument against these doctors’ actions is summed up in one Canadian’s comment in a news article: “Meanwhile in Canada, people wait up to 7 hours in an emergency room to be admitted. Something is seriously wrong with the Government of Canada.” The general population seems to believe that our government and doctors have a duty to Canadians to perfect our health care and other such systems, before going to help other countries. While there is validity in their concerns, some deeper analysis is needed to fully understand the problem and the extent of its ramifications.
Firstly, it should be understood that these doctors are not being sent by the government of Canada – their decision to leave and provide medical relief to Syria is purely their own. Secondly, the argument against these doctors leaving Canada should not be that their leaving will create longer wait times for us – there are such few doctors leaving that the effect on our wait times is negligible – but that their actions will not create sustainable change in Syria. These doctors are going to high-conflict areas of Syria and briefly training medics in 15 minutes or less about the treatment of trauma patients as well as performing complicated procedures should the need arise. The reason why they train the medics for such a short time is that there are so many people needing medical assistance that there is simply not enough time to train the medics more thoroughly. This begs the question: are the doctors creating a positive and sustainable change? The medics are insufficiently trained to create long-term medical benefits for Syria, and their help to the wounded does not address the root problem, which is the violence itself. Therefore, this cannot be a sustainable solution, but it is an efficient way to save the most lives possible in a short time constraint.
Essentially, a few Canadians have decided that Syria has a greater need for doctors than Canada, and they are brave and determined enough to serve that greater need in what ways they can. They have realized that their moral obligation as doctors is not only to Canadians, but to all people. Whether those people are Syrian or Canadian, they are people nonetheless. We, as Canadians, can be proud of our morally-driven doctors and accept that a little sacrifice on our part can help save the lives of many.
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