Former SNP MP and leading breast surgeon Dr Whitford will be speaking in Kilmallie Community Centre, Fort William on Friday September 26th at 7pm.
Dr Whitford will be speaking to the Lochaber Supports Palestine group on the topic, ‘Healing in a War Zone: Gaza’s fight for healthcare’.
Dr Whitford served as a medical volunteer in Gaza at a United Nations hospital in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon in the early 1990s before establishing the Scotland-Gaza Breast Cancer Partnership in 2016.
She is an executive member of Scottish Palestinian Health Partnership.
Dr Whitford said:
“I think you have to just go on doing whatever bit of everything it is you’re able to do.
“Whether it’s donating money to a charity supporting Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, like Medical Aid for Palestinians.
“That’s obviously who I’m now a trustee of, MAP, but obviously that’s who I’ve always supported through.
“But there are other charities, there is advocating, so writing to your MP, writing to the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, whatever.
“But also,” she continued, “It’s just keeping Gaza on the agenda, talking about it, coming to events, coming to vigils.”
Dr Whitford has been doing just that, travelling the country speaking about her experiences in Gaza and the setting up of the clinic there.
She goes on to describe the effect of the Israeli bombardment of the medical facilities.
“They’re reusing biopsy needles.
“They can’t get hold of all the chemicals they need for the pathology.
“They have a full team.
“We have a pathologist, we have an oncologist, we have a radiologist, we have surgeons, but they just cannot get the supplies that they need.
“And so it’s not that they need the input from us in terms any more of knowledge.
“They had already transformed the service.
“I mean, by 2021, within four years of the team visiting, it had just transformed things, I’m so proud of the work they’ve done.
“They just can’t get the resources.
“And of course, with what’s happening at the moment, Nassar (Hospital) is really the only major hospital that we would describe as functioning.”
Entry to the Lochaber Supports Palestine event is by donation.
