Female doctor shares experience from humanitarian mission in Gaza

Sinar Daily

08-05-2025

As the only female volunteer in MERCY Malaysia's Special Care Team 5 (SCT 5), she said the sound of bombs every night never once shook her resolve and the thought of death did not trouble her.
11 May 2025 02:00pm
A young girl carries a salvaged pot inside a damaged building that was hit in an Israeli strike in the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on May 2, 2025. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
KUALA LUMPUR - The suffering of the Palestinian people became the driving force for anaesthesiologist Dr Siti Sainira Saidin, who spent 30 days in Gaza as part of Mercy Malaysia's humanitarian mission to help residents in the conflict zone, despite the constant threat of bomb explosions.
As the only female volunteer in Mercy Malaysia's Special Care Team 5 (SCT 5), she said the sound of bombs every night never once shook her resolve and the thought of death did not trouble her. Displaced Palestinian children play at a damaged lecture hall at the Islamic University campus in Gaza City on May 1, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
"We were stationed in Gaza City, Khan Younis, and northern Gaza. Almost every night, we heard the sound of bombs exploding, but Alhamdulillah, we were able to carry out our duties according to Mercy Malaysia's standard operating procedures.
"Not once did I think about dying while I was there, because life and death are determined by Allah SWT. As His servant, I simply did my best to complete the 30-day mission,' she said in a press conference at Mercy Malaysia's headquarters, here recently.
Also present were Mercy Malaysia president Datuk Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus, Global Operations chief and SCT 5 team leader Shah Fiesal Hussain, and two other volunteers, Mohd Azizul Hakim Danial and Nurfirdaus Ibrahim.
Sharing her experience, Dr Siti Sainira said she and three other volunteers were tasked with providing emergency medical care at several major hospitals, including Al-Shifaa Hospital, Al-Nasser Hospital, and Kuwait Specialty Hospital, during the mission which ran from March 27 to April 26.
She said she had long followed the developments and hardships faced by people in the conflict zone through media reports, and from then on, she aspired to contribute to humanitarian efforts, a dream she never imagined would come true through the SCT 5 team.
"As a woman, I was deeply moved because the majority of victims in the conflict are women and children. Alhamdulillah, my wish to help them has been fulfilled,' said Dr Siti Sainira, who has served in the medical field for 17 years.
Despite facing various challenges throughout the mission, including being away from her family, she said the simulation training with the General Operations Force (GOF) and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) prior to departure had helped prepare her mentally and ensured her safety on the ground. - BERNAMA
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