The Elephant in the Room of Medical Practice

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Amal Naim, a medical doctor from Lebanon, currently in her final year of a Master’s degree in Hospital and Health Institution Management. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Ignoring the elephant in the room! Previously used to reflect on mental health issues, today I want to use it to reflect on the biggest challenge we are confronting as human beings when it comes to health in general.

It is extremely heartbreaking to see the amount of progress and opportunities we got as humans on the earth to be able to provide health for all. Instead, we are seeing how health is prohibited from reaching certain populations on this same earth using the same technologies we had for care.

I am not currently practicing medicine and I am not living in my homeland, but one of my harsh nightmares is holding a pager in a hospital in Lebanon. I try to find what is the best practice in such a situation, do I cover it with my body so as not to harm people around, or do I randomly throw it away? In every nightmare I do something, I wake up hearing the sound of an explosion in my dream!

Equality in this case is not spreading bombed pagers all over hospitals worldwide! It should be fair accountability, allowing people to feel safe again all over the world. On the other side, I wish I could say brighter, but no, it is just more catastrophic. Attacking hospitals and clinics equally is not the type of equality we aim for.

Health by its nature is an equal need by all people, whether physical or psychological. Medical practice by its nature is a pure and equal right. But addressing inequality nowadays is addressing the challenges medical professionals are facing in many countries attacked by one military entity.

A doctor and principal of a hospital being kidnapped for months to prevent the operation of its hospital is the exact definition of inequality in access to health. Building a healthier and fairer world is not possible without holding people accountable under international law.

What is health without life? The most dangerous inequalities in medical practice preventing the progress in building a fairer and healthier world is being silent when medical practitioners somewhere on the earth are assaulted in front of us!

About the author

Amal Naim is a medical doctor from Lebanon, currently in her final year of a Master’s degree in Hospital and Health Institution Management. An alumnus of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) through LeMSIC Lebanon, she has held multiple positions in both organizations, specializing in public relations and communication. Amal concluded her journey with LeMSIC as Vice President for International Affairs and continues to serve as an IFMSA alumnus. Passionate about global health, she is dedicated to promoting health equity and improving healthcare systems worldwide.