Doctor swims through flood to perform life-saving surgery

A Sudanese medical doctor, Muddather Ahmed Yahya Basher, has made headlines after braving floodwaters to swim to his hospital to perform a life-saving surgery.

A video that circulated on social media captured the moment Dr Basher, the Medical Director and General Practitioner at Takar General Hospital, swam a distance of 20 to 30 meters to reach his workplace, driven by a pressing emergency.

In an interview with TRTAfrica, Dr Basher explained his decision, emphasising the urgency of the situation.

“The video showed a response to an emergency call to attend to a case in the maternity ward, and the doctor needed to be there.

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“This distance was about 20 to 30 meters that I swam across, and it took between two and a half to three minutes to get there,” he said.

The urgency of the call left Dr Basher with little time to consider the risks involved. His only concern was reaching the hospital swiftly.

“My focus was how to get to the hospital. I didn’t even give much thought to anything else. My focus was how to get there fast and be there for the acutely unwell mother and her baby,” he recounted.

Despite not being an expert swimmer, Basher’s basic swimming skills served him well in the crisis, noting, “I’m far from being a skilled swimmer, but somehow I learned how to swim to serve the purpose. It has paid off when it was needed the most,” highlighting how his resourcefulness played a critical role.

Upon reaching the hospital, Basher successfully performed the surgery on the expectant mother under harsh conditions. The facility had no electricity, and resources were severely limited, yet the operation went smoothly.

“I want to assure you that all the surgery went swimmingly well. Mother and baby have been saved even though we operated under extreme conditions. But the operation was carried out successfully, and both mother and child are doing well,” he confirmed.

Currently, Takar General Hospital is functioning at only 40% of its usual capacity due to the ongoing crisis in Sudan. However, Basher and his team continue to provide full medical services, thanks to the dedication of health workers who have taken refuge at the hospital.

In his appeal to the global community, Basher urged NGOs to provide both moral and medical support to help Sudan’s healthcare system endure the ongoing turmoil.