Medics in Libya

Now that the Bulgarians nurses and the Palestinian doctor are finally free, there can be no harm in indulging in a little grousing about Medics in Libya.

Every single young doctor in each new batch of Libyan doctors has a collection of tales to tell. Being blessed with the undoubted blessing of having many female doctor cousins all new to the trade, (mashallah) I get to hear a lot on the subject. Such as, the patients who correct the doctor. Or the nurse who sit gossiping about henna this and farah that and retorts ‘Mich Fadya’ to a doctor’s request.

Then there’s the grousing about the Ukrainan and other east European medics who speak neither Arabic nor English. I’ve seen this myself; otherwise I’d think it was an exaggeration. In the medical centre we live close to, the foreign medics are all from Ukraine or Philippine. Those from the Philippines speak English, very little Arabic. Some of those from the Ukraine couldn’t speak either.

Communication in these cases must be a mixture of sign language and…well, sign language. When this fails, appeal for translation.

I realised this when the parents of a Ukrainian child who came to an English course I taught had to bring along another Ukrainian doctor to act as translator. I spoke in English – nothing. Arabic - if possible, less. I ended up speaking a few words of English, repeating it in Arabic, and waiting for the translation.

Fortunately, the centre had foreseen the problem and hired some people who could communicate with the non-English non-Arabic speaking Ukranians in their own language.

I found this strange. I mean, imagine an Arab doctor in a foreign country. Then imagine that doctor not learning the language of the country s/he is residing in, showing no interest in learning the language of the country s/he is residing in, and what’s more, expecting ‘the natives’ to learn Arabic so that s/he can be understood

The lack of integration indicative is so high it would be red on the ever-flickering traffic light threat level. Definitely above and beyond the segregation potential of the veil. Isn’t there some sort of requirement to learn English now? First step to immigration, recite ABC.

Not that that’s a discrimination issue. I agree that it might be advisable for someone planning to stay a few years in a country to begin to learn the language. Which is why I find the communication problems here odd.

On the positive side though, this gives Libyans the chance to be good linguists doesn’t it.