In Beirut Tragedy, Doctor Finds Renewed Sense of Purpose
2020-09-21
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Dr. Bassam Osman says his life changed on August 4.
2At around 6 p.m, he was getting ready to leave the hospital in Beirut where he works.
3Then, a huge explosion shook the city.
4Hundreds of wounded people came to the American University of Beirut Medical Center, one of Lebanon's best hospitals.
5Doctors who had worked through Lebanon's civil war said they had never seen anything like it.
6In six hours, they used as many emergency supplies as they would normally use in one and a half years.
7Osman, a 27-year-old resident, worked for the next 52 hours.
8He treated more than 20 people. One of them died.
9Explosive chemicals, left for years at Beirut's port, caused the disaster.
10The explosion has increased public anger against Lebanon's officials, who are also blamed for the country's economic crisis.
11More than 190 people were killed.
12Thousands of people were injured.
13Tens of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed.
14"Day by day, these (crises) are becoming our normal life," Osman told the AP.
15"We are tired...It feels like one long marathon."
16Osman's earnings dropped in value from nearly $1,300 a month to just around $200 a month because of the local currency's crash.
17He worries harder days may be ahead. Osman, at the beginning of his career, finds himself in a medical field that is having problems.
18Lebanon's medical centers were once considered among the best in the Middle East.
19In a short time, they have been brought to near collapse.
20They have been hurt by Lebanon's financial problems and an increase in coronavirus cases.
21New medical supplies are not coming fast enough.
22Medical centers hit by the economic crisis are firing employees.
23More doctors are leaving the country.
24It will cost nearly $30 million to repair medical centers damaged by the explosion, the World Health Organization estimates.
25At the same time, the health system faces a sharp increase in coronavirus cases.
26The International Rescue Committee, an aid group, says that, since August 4, there has been a 220 percent increase in reported infections.
27One woman recently contacted Osman on social media.
28She asked for suggestions about finding a plastic surgeon - a special kind of doctor who repairs or improves people's appearances.
29The reason for her question: her wounds from the explosion were stitched badly.
30Stiches are special pieces of thread that are used to hold wounds closed.
31The woman did not realize that Osman was the one who did the stitching.
32Osman admitted responsibility, noting that the work was done under mobile phone lights.
33He asked her to return.
34She did, for coffee.
35He apologized to her in person.
36Later, in an Instagram post, she thanked him for "putting her back together" and saving her life.
37Osman has two more years in his residency program.
38Then he plans to go on a fellowship in another country.
39He said that in the past it was "a question mark" whether he would return to Lebanon when it was over.
40After the explosion, he is sure he will.
41"After I witnessed how much potential there is to give as a doctor in a country like Lebanon...I realized that the question marks have all gone away."
42I'm John Russell.
1Dr. Bassam Osman says his life changed on August 4. At around 6 p.m, he was getting ready to leave the hospital in Beirut where he works. Then, a huge explosion shook the city. 2Hundreds of wounded people came to the American University of Beirut Medical Center, one of Lebanon's best hospitals. 3Doctors who had worked through Lebanon's civil war said they had never seen anything like it. In six hours, they used as many emergency supplies as they would normally use in one and a half years. 4Osman, a 27-year-old resident, worked for the next 52 hours. He treated more than 20 people. One of them died. 5Problems in Lebanon 6Explosive chemicals, left for years at Beirut's port, caused the disaster. The explosion has increased public anger against Lebanon's officials, who are also blamed for the country's economic crisis. 7More than 190 people were killed. Thousands of people were injured. Tens of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed. 8"Day by day, these (crises) are becoming our normal life," Osman told the AP. "We are tired...It feels like one long marathon." 9Osman's earnings dropped in value from nearly $1,300 a month to just around $200 a month because of the local currency's crash. He worries harder days may be ahead. Osman, at the beginning of his career, finds himself in a medical field that is having problems. 10Lebanon's medical centers were once considered among the best in the Middle East. In a short time, they have been brought to near collapse. They have been hurt by Lebanon's financial problems and an increase in coronavirus cases. 11New medical supplies are not coming fast enough. Medical centers hit by the economic crisis are firing employees. More doctors are leaving the country. It will cost nearly $30 million to repair medical centers damaged by the explosion, the World Health Organization estimates. 12At the same time, the health system faces a sharp increase in coronavirus cases. The International Rescue Committee, an aid group, says that, since August 4, there has been a 220 percent increase in reported infections. 13Question marks 14One woman recently contacted Osman on social media. She asked for suggestions about finding a plastic surgeon - a special kind of doctor who repairs or improves people's appearances. 15The reason for her question: her wounds from the explosion were stitched badly. Stiches are special pieces of thread that are used to hold wounds closed. The woman did not realize that Osman was the one who did the stitching. 16Osman admitted responsibility, noting that the work was done under mobile phone lights. He asked her to return. She did, for coffee. He apologized to her in person. Later, in an Instagram post, she thanked him for "putting her back together" and saving her life. 17Osman has two more years in his residency program. Then he plans to go on a fellowship in another country. He said that in the past it was "a question mark" whether he would return to Lebanon when it was over. 18After the explosion, he is sure he will. 19"After I witnessed how much potential there is to give as a doctor in a country like Lebanon...I realized that the question marks have all gone away." 20I'm John Russell. 21Sarah El Deeb reported on this story for Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 22_____________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24resident - n. a doctor who is training at a hospital to become a specialist in a particular field of medicine 25marathon - n. something (such as an event or activity) that lasts an extremely long time or that requires great effort 26mobile phone - n. a small telephone that people can take with them and use outside their homes 27fellowship - n. the position of a fellow at a university or college 28potential - n. a chance or possibility that something will happen or exist in the future 29We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.