Studying under fire

Laith K Qassim AlRubaiy describes studying medicine in the middle of war torn Basra, in Iraq, between April and July 2003

A few months were left until my final exams, after which I would be a fully qualified doctor, when they declared that war was at our door. None of us knew what to do. Everyone had been waiting for the final year, but we were told that it might be postponed and that we might need to study for another year because of the war.

A mixture of fear and hope existed. We all wanted the regime to be changed, but we wanted our graduation certificates as well. I was doing my internship in medicine at Basra Teaching Hospital. Many students from outside Basra returned home. They preferred to be with their families. I was one of the few students who stayed. At my house we filled a room with extra food and prepared special tanks to store kerosene for lamps and cooking. We taped the glass of the windows so that they would not break into pieces and cause injuries. We collected water for drinking because we were afraid that Saddam might pollute the drinking water, and we made an airtight room in the basement in case we were exposed to chemical weapons. Tanks and soldiers were everywhere day and night.

I kept on preparing for my final exams despite the announcement that studies were suspended all over the country. I made a schedule to revise my books and lectures and tried to stick to it. Maybe I used studying as a way not to think of what was going on around me.

War started a few weeks later. At night we could hear bombing and in the day smoke was everywhere. But still I kept on studying. I was encouraged by my parents, who were of endless support to me.

There was a severe shortage of medical staff. Therefore, I decided to volunteer to help deal with the huge number of injured patients. I could put in an intravenous line, give fluids, and carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation and minor operations such as suturing. The way to the hospital was scary. The hospital was only 15 minutes' walk from my home but it took me ages to get there because I had to walk under cover to avoid wandering bullets and missiles. For that reason, my father did not want me to go, but I could not just stand and watch all those casualties without doing something. After all, it did not matter where you were as everything and everyone could be a target.

The situation might be better in Basra than in Baghdad but it was war regardless of its place or severity. Coalition troops entered Basra a few weeks after the start of the war. We thought that was the end, but it was just the beginning. Hospitals and health centres were looted because of the lack of security. I saw drugs, bandages, syringes, and other medical equipment scattered everywhere. People did not know the value of what they were looting. I remember that I saw an old lady taking computers monitors from a government building. She turned to me and said,"Why you are standing like this, there are good televisions out there, go and take some!" Drug stores were burned after they were completely looted. We had been told by the government during the war that there were no available medical supplies and that we had to ration our use, but that seemed to be a big lie.

The government used these lies as a way to gain some international empathy. I can understand why people stole food, but I don't think there is a reasonable explanation for looting chemists' shops and throwing drugs into the streets. The troops protected my college, where all our records were kept. Basra's main security building was invaded by people in a last hope of finding the fate of their relatives whom they had lost during the Saddam's regime.

While everyone was busy with taking the most valuable things from the security building, weak voices were heard coming from the ground. Troops came and found a prison in the basement. There are many terrible stories about prisoners and how they were tortured. Mass graves were discovered but no one knew the identity of the dead bodies. It was the end of a brutal, unmerciful, and dictatorial regime and the beginning of a new time of challenge.

Colleges were reopened and teaching was resumed in a very unstable situation. My colleagues from outside Basra returned to their rooms in the residency halls only to find their books, notes, and everything else burned or looted. We formed large study groups to share notes and books. Despite this, we managed to study and prepare for the exams. The electricity was interrupted because of the complete destruction of the main electricity stations and the damage caused by looting. Summer in Basra is hot and humid, but we all kept on studying.

In difficult conditions you find new abilities. We were all afraid that they would ask us to repeat the final year again as there were no official government or ministries at that time. Shortly afterwards, the temporary government was established and the dates for the final year's exams were confirmed. It was two months later than the usual date but at least we would be able to finish the year. The dean, Professor Imad, arranged with the royal colleges in the United Kingdom to send examiners who came and ensured our exams were accredited.

A month later, we finished the written and clinical exams, and everything settled down. For us war did not end until we finished our exams. A couple of weeks later, we got our results, and the success rate was high. Basra College of Medicine got a special award for this. Most of my colleagues passed, and I passed with distinction. I couldn't believe it when they announced my result. I shall always remember that the BBC was there when we had the graduation ceremony on the ruins of the football field."Well done Laith," the chancellor of the university told me as he gave me the prize for being top student. Our certificates marked not just graduation but all those memories we had and all those bloody scenes we saw.