“May I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help” - Hippocratic Oath In the constantly evolving landscape of healthcare, every hand counts when fighting potentially life-threatening diseases. Yet, even among these courageous souls, there stands a cadre of dedicated professionals who stand at the cornerstone of medical advancement and true care for ailing patients. These individuals all come from diverse and culturally different backgrounds span a range of specialties and disciplines and yet stand united in pioneering the future of medicine. From the frontlines of emergency rooms in war-torn and developing areas to the innately contemplative spaces of research labs, these prominent healthcare workers leave an indelible impact on the lives they touch and the communities they dedicate themselves to serve. At CareForAll we follow in their large footsteps in innovation, compassion and the relentless pursuit of efficient access to healthcare. We believe that by acknowledging significant leaps that have been made by other visionaries, we can learn from them and contribute to their noble mission. This blog post delves into the lives and contributions of these remarkable individuals, highlighting their incredible journeys and the significant impacts they have made on the world of healthcare. At the forefront of healthcare and human rights stands Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr Dennis Mukwege, a beacon of hope in the dark and stigmatised atmosphere of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo and beyond. Mukwege grew up in Bukavu, the son of a Pentecostal minister, and he first became aware of the healthcare situation around him when visiting ailing parishioners with his father. After reading medicine in Burundi, he chose to return home and focus on gynaecology after witnessing the harsh circumstances that rural women faced when giving birth. In 1989, he established his first obstetrics service in Lemera, yet it was destroyed in the 1996 civil war. The culmination of his years of experience was the Panzi Hospital, where he served as Director. Although the initial goal of the hospital was to provide maternal care, eventually it started to receive victims of sexual violence, some as young as three years old. Dr. Mukwege took it upon himself to provide not only physical attention but psychological and legal assistance. He explains “We can’t just treat the finger or the ear, we have to see the person as an entire whole”. This philosophy stands as a paragon for the way we must treat these victims, not only providing medical support but helping them recover from the deplorable crimes that are faced daily by people from rural or lower socio-economic classes, the kind of people that go unnoticed by modern healthcare giants and the kind of people we at CareForAll aim to facilitate, aspiring to amplify the reach of such visionaries who serve as an inspiration to for their resilience and unwavering commitment to a world where all people have access to quality healthcare. Fighting for healthcare does not only have to be on the frontlines, rather it can be executed by those people who use their knowledge to advocate for those whose voices are ignored. Exemplifying this philosophy is Dr. James P. Grant, who was the executive director of UNICEF from 1980 to 1995, who contributed greatly to child survival by emphasising the importance of comparatively basic interventions such as immunizations, oral rehydration therapy and breastfeeding promotion. His bold initiatives, including the Child Survival and Development Revolution, catalysed unprecedented reductions in child mortality. By using his power to champion community-based healthcare strategies that focused on people helping each other out and partnering with NGOs, Grant transformed UNICEF into a powerhouse for child health advocacy. His legacy serves to inspire us even to date, and the tenets of his devotion to healthcare serve as an inspiration to us at CareForAll to fight even harder and cooperate towards the communal goal of openly accessible healthcare and awareness. Grant’s enduring impact also serves as a reminder of the transformative power of visionary leadership and collective actions in improving the lives of the most vulnerable members of society. These two men only represent a mere fraction of the number of people who put their own lives on the line every day to keep everybody safe regardless of socioeconomic class or race. With such big shoes to fill, CareForAll is dedicated to working harder each day towards having an impact on people’s lives, however, we can’t do it alone. No matter how small, take the step towards being one of the people that changed the world. And it begins with you. To learn more, visit: https://www.gavi.org/ https://www.nyas.org/person/seth-f-berkley/ https://www.unicef.org/ https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2018/mukwege/biographical/ By Rehan
