Humanity First: Doctor helps quake victims

“One of the most moving moments out there was when I went to an orphanage where seven people were looking after 100 children in three small tents. Most of the children didn’t have any families and when we arrived they came out and hugged us – they were just young children who wanted someone to hold them and to be in a family.” Dr. Muzaffar Hashmi

Ahmadiyya Times | News Staff | UK Desk
Source & Credit: Express & Star | Walsall, England


Most people have only watched in horror from their armchairs as an earthquake caused havoc in Haiti.

However, Walsall doctor Muzaffar Hashmi packed his bags and spent more than a week at the epicentre of the deadly earthquake.

The 36-year-old took two weeks holiday from his job in accident and emergency at Walsall Manor Hospital and on January 22 went on a three-day journey to Haiti where the earthquake affected about three million people. Government reports say that between 217,000 and 230,000 have been identified as dead.

However, there were also about 300,000 people injured and others needing treatment for existing conditions and Dr Hashmi says he felt he couldn’t stand by and watch when people needed his help.

He is registered with Humanity First, which sends medical teams to disasters.

Calls to help in 2005 at the Pakistan earthquake and in 2004 for the Boxing Day Tsunami could not be accepted because of exams but, when contacted on January 17, he decided to go to Haiti.

The team flew from Heathrow to France and then to Punta Cana where they hired cars to take them to Santo Domingo. There they hired 4×4s to get to the border, which was closed from 6pm until the following morning, so they slept in cars until they could get into Haiti.

Dr Hashmi, who lives in Leamington with wife Maliha, said that in Haiti there were long queues for food and water and the poorest people were selling what they could get. The earthquake was on January 12, and 12 days later at least 52 after-shocks measuring 4.5 were recorded. Dr Hashmi says he treated 35 to 50 people a day.

“One of the most moving moments out there was when I went to an orphanage where seven people were looking after 100 children in three small tents,” he said. “Most of the children didn’t have any families and when we arrived they came out and hugged us – they were just young children who wanted someone to hold them and to be in a family.”

He says that nine days of working non-stop and nights trying to sleep on the roads, listening to people screaming and crying took its toll on him.

“People often think the world is run by money and greed but everyone out there was working for the good of the people in Haiti and they weren’t expecting any pay – it was good to be a part of that.”

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