“It would be great if the best healthcare was where it was needed the most -- and this was an opportunity to do that.”
This is how Jesse Perry, an ER nurse at Richmond Hospital, explains his seven-month mission with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders, working in the province of Helmand, Afghanistan.
Perry was placed at Boost Hospital as a nursing team supervisor in the neonatal and pediatrics intensive care unit where he managed 67 staff, including male nurses and famel health assistants.
"The role designations and work itself was very gendered and this was in order to ensure patient needs were met in a culturally-sensitive way," said Perry, adding that female staff were in charge of changing diapers and making sure babies were fed well, whereas male staff were responsible for medication administration.
“Most people get kind of hung up on the inherent dangers of working in a conflict zone, but I’m able to rationalize this risk because it’s really my deepest conviction that the best health care ought to be provided to the people who need it the most."
His team mainly focused on maternal care, as well as the newborns and children who were deemed most sick, he said.
“A lot of children were coming quite late in their presentation of their illness because of difficulties parents had getting to the hospital,” said Perry, adding that some families would have to travel for days or through many military checkpoints before arriving at Boost.
Perry found strength and resilience in the people he interacted with in Afghanistan and received positive comments and hope during the tough times.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about Afghanistan, and there’s such a cultural diversity in language, food and clothing.
When asked if he would work with the program again, Perry said, yes – without hesitation.
“I would in a heartbeat. It’s (a) pretty incredible organization and I really believe in the work that they do.”
