We couldn’t be more proud of this Malaysian doctor’s efforts to save lives!
Dr Jemilah Mahmood has saved many lives over the course of her career. Since she helped establish Mercy Malaysia in 1999, she has helped countless Malaysians in need, as well as people in war-torn nations.
In 2015, she won the prestigious Merdeka Award for her work in developing humanitarian and international emergency relief, since her organisation was the first of its kind that works both locally and internationally.
Source: The Malaysian Times
Her philanthropic spirit was definitely fostered by her family since she was a child. According to Star 2, when she was just 13, her mother would send her on solo trips to Singapore so she could hand-deliver money to the less fortunate.
She has undoubtedly put her life on the line many times to help those in need. One instance in particular definitely stands out among the rest.
In 2003, Dr Jemilah travelled with a convoy of other doctors to help deliver medical supplies to a children’s hospital in Iraq when her group was suddenly caught in crossfire between two communities, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. Sadly, a pharmacist who was travelling with her group died from the shooting, along with two other doctors.
Source: Merdeka Award
Dr Jemilah herself was indirectly shot in the hip. The bullet reportedly went through her friend and colleague, Dr Baba, before going through a thick Reader’s Digest book and finally ending up lodged in her hip.
“I was shot through a friend – he was more injured and he took the bullet for me,” said the Obstetrician and Gynaecologist.
Upon realising she had been shot, she quickly stitched the wound with the bullet still inside her. The bullet would remain in her hip for the next five weeks.
When Dr Baba was put on the operating table, Dr Jemilah began to cry, thinking whether it was the right choice to bring her team to such a dangerous place.
However, she immediately had to perform an emergency C-section on an anaemic woman who just went into labour. She successfully performed the procedure and delivered a baby boy with the bullet still in her hip.
Just six hours after the procedure, Dr Jemilah said the patient left the hospital with her baby, saying that if the bombs dropped on her home that night, she wanted to be with the rest of her family.
She said the woman and her colleagues who died that day were the real heroes, and not her.
Source: ISA Award
“Why am I complaining about this bullet in my hip?” she said. “We can’t fight our destiny. There must be a reason why I am here. If I gave up, I wouldn’t be doing justice to those who gave their lives.”
As for what she’s doing now, Dr Jemilah is currently the secretary-general for partnerships at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and continues to pursue her humanitarian efforts every day.
She continues to inspire Malaysians to this very day. The world could use more people like her!
Also read: Dying Doctor Selflessly Donates Corneas to Save One Last Patient
