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James Maskalyk's experience as a doctor in Sudan

Canadian physician James Maskalyk on why he left a comfortable teaching job to work for Médecins Sans Frontières in Sudan.

Photo: James Maskalyk

"As she was developing her own personality, I also got interested in her as a human being. There was something unique about her, something that was maybe similar to my spirit. After a month, I started treating her for tuberculosis. I found something to cure her, and I found a woman to feed her and look after her. She started to get better and then learned how to talk and walk. And then I flew away and left her at the hospital. I hope she’s alive; I don’t know.

"It was such a privilege to be able to see Aweil transform from being sick, sad and orphaned to being well, fed and happy. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever seen. I thought about caring for her, but I don’t think I can at this point in my life.

"I care about the people of Sudan. I have developed a fondness for them. That’s why I can’t really say I left Sudan behind. It’s great to be able to see my friends here in Toronto, and be able to sleep again. But I still find that some of my happiness depends on that place. If Sudan goes through a difficult time, my mood gets affected.

"Recently, the situation in Sudan got a lot worse. Some people got kidnapped, [Sudanese President] Omar al-Bashir kicked MSF out of the country. My only compulsion after hearing such news is, How can I get back there? How can I continue doing this work? And rather than finding the answer to the question of how I can fit this kind of work into my life, I realize the real question has become, How can I fit a life into this kind of work?

"I’ve now been asked by the University of Toronto to develop a training program for emergency medicine in Ethiopia. That’s a great endeavor, and very different from the work of MSF. It’s the difference between relief and development. I value MSF’s work because it’s fundamental care, and it’s focused on the immediate relief of suffering of people who might be victims of inequality or injustice. That’s what I’m most passionate about. Yet the project in Ethiopia is purely educational and institutional. The effect will be a lasting one, both for the patients and for the country. The highest level of achievement as a doctor is your own obsolescence. You want to work yourself out of work as soon as you can. What a wonderful thing if Ethiopians don’t need the help of foreign doctors at all.

"Was it dangerous in Sudan? Well, I never really felt unsafe, but that might be my naiveté. If you sign up with MSF, you accept the risk of working in a place with a conflict. There was a shooting at the hospital, and a lot of alcohol and guns. Yet the most dangerous thing in a country like Sudan isn’t that you get shot, but that you get meningitis or tuberculosis. And those in the most danger are the people of Sudan.

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