'Comehomeandhelp',urgesCentralAfricanRepublicdoctor

BANGUI(ThomsonReutersFoundation)WhenviolenceeruptedintheCentralAfricanRepublicthreeyearsago,hundredsofthousandsofpeople
fledthecapitalBangui,includingmostdoctorsandmedicalstudentsatthemainchildren'shospital.
Asthecitydescendedintochaos,58yearoldJeanGodywasoneofthefewdoctorswhochosetostaybehindandhelp.
"Iwouldhavebeenashamedtoleavepeoplesufferingandthenhavetocomebackandlookthemintheeyes,"thehospitaldirectortoldthe
ThomsonReutersFoundationinaninterview.
"ThatwouldhavebeentootoughformeIcouldnothavelivedwithmyself,"Godysaid,sittingamongstacksoffilesandpaperworkinhisoffice,
whereaphotoofhimwithPopeFranciswhovisitedthecountrylastyearcommandsprideofplace.
CentralAfricanRepublic,oneoftheworld'smostchronicallyunstablecountries,sufferedtheworstcrisisinitshistoryinearly2013whenmainly
MuslimSelekafightersseizedpower,triggeringreprisalsbyChristianantibalakamilitias.
Godyandthreeotherdoctors,whoalsostayedbehind,keptthehospitalopenastheviolencespiraledbutwerequicklyoverwhelmedbythenumber
ofpatients.
"Therewerealotofpeoplewoundedbybulletswealmostforgottheotherillnesses,"Godysaid,addingthatupto30childrenwithbulletwounds
arrivedeverydayinthefirstweek.
"Later,wesawbothbulletandmacheteinjuries,alsoinvolvingchildren,andpeoplestartedcominginwithinjuriesfrombombingthatneeded
amputations."
OnceaidagenciesstartedincreasingtheirpresenceinBanguiaftertheinitialbloodshed,thehealthresponsebecamemoreorganized,Godysaid.
Twoorganizationstookcontrolofthetraumawardandmalnutritionunitinthechildren'shospital.
"That'showwecoped,givenourlimitationsandourneeds."
DOCTORS'DUTY
Reflectingonhisworstmomentasadoctorduringtheconflict,Godyrecallsawomanwhocametothehospitalwithhersisterandsonafterbeing
caughtupinthebombingofachurch.
"Herchildwasreally,reallyinjuredinbothlegsandwasbleedingalot,andhersisterdiedreallyquickly,"Godysaid.
Whenthewomansawarmedrebelsarriveinfrontofthehospital,shewantedtofightthemwithherbarehands,hesaid.
"Ijusthadthereflextostopher,tellingher:'Youneedtosaveyourenergytotakecareofyourchild',"thedoctorsaid,addingthathelaterhadto
amputatethechild'sfeet.
Theviolencehassubsidedslightlythisyearcomparedtolastyear,yetafifthofthepopulationisstilldisplaced,hungerandmalnutritionrateshave
rocketedandmanyhealthfacilitiesareempty,damaged,ordestroyed.
Godysaysthesituationismoremanageablethanitwasbeforebutthechildren'shospitalisstilloperatingwithonlyhalfthenumberofdoctorsithad
beforetheconflict.
"Itissodifficult,itisachallenge,"hesaid."Wehavetoworkalot,tobesoinvolved,physicallyandmentally."
Thefatheroffour'sdecisiontostayinthecountryevencosthimhismarriage,ashiswifedecidedtomovetotheUnitedStateswiththeirchildren
whentheviolencebrokeoutin2013.
"ButIstudiedhereattheuniversitymycountrymademewhoIam.IamaccountabletomycountrysoImustgivethatbackbyhelpingthechildren
andtheirparents,"Godysaid.
UrgingothermedicalprofessionalstoreturntotheCentralAfricanRepublic,Godysaiditwastheirdutytohelptheirpeopleanddosomethingfortheir
country.
"Tootherdoctorsaroundtheworldwhothinktheyhavesomethingtogive,wehavespacehere,wehavejobshere."
(ReportingbyPaulaDear,WritingbyKieranGuilbert,EditingbyKatieNguyen.PleasecredittheThomsonReutersFoundation,thecharitablearmof
ThomsonReuters,thatcovershumanitariannews,women'srights,trafficking,corruptionandclimatechange.Visitnews.trust.org)
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