Emirati doctor treating Covid-19 patients in California pledged to save lives

An Emirati doctor, who is on the frontlines of fighting Covid-19 in the US, says he decided to stay back to "save lives."
"When you take up the medical profession, there is a pledge you make to save lives and to take care of patients around the world. It is a commitment I made when I decided to be a doctor, and I will honour it," Dr. Ajlan Al Zaki, Internal medicine specialist at California's Stanford University Hospital, told Khaleej Times .
"I am really proud to be an Emirati doctor and offer my services outside of my country. It is a privilege and an honour to do my bit in fighting this pandemic. This experience is valuable and I hope I can bring this back to my country in the future."
Also read: How UAE is leading its war on Covid-19
When the UAE government called on all citizens to return home as the global toll of coronavirus mounted, Dr. Al Zaki, 34, said he and his wife, Marie who is also a doctor, chose duty first.
"It is a difficult time for doctors. But people need doctors more than ever."
The doctor couple has a three-year old son, and Dr. Al Zaki says it is a personal as well as a personal challenge.
"My wife is a pediatrician, and both of us work long hours and then have to come back and take care of our son. Before I reach home, I have to change into a new set of clothes and pack my hospital gears and keep them outside.
"Without first taking shower, I don't even greet anyone or touch anything at home. We have to take these extra precautions to keep ourselves and our child safe."
Chemical Engineer turned doctor
When Dr. Al Zaki came to the US in 2005 to pursue Chemical Engineering, he had his eyes set in a career in the oil industry as "UAE is big on oil."
"I did my PHD in Bio-engineering where a lot of my work was focused on developing treatment for cancer. That is when I understood that my call is to treat patients," said the doctor, who grew up in Abu Dhabi.
He did his medical studies from George Washington University and is currently planning to do a fellowship in Oncology.
But when he switched career from chemical engineering to medicine,  Dr. Al Zaki says he never thought he would have to fight a contagion that has claimed over 50,000 lives worldwide.
"Never in my life time I expected I would have to be ready for this. But, I am so glad that I took up medical profession. And I am proud of what we are doing."
Long working hours
Speaking about the day to day crisis doctors in the US face, Dr Al Zaki said doctors in California is in a much better position than many others. "It is pretty much under control. That is because California started taking precautions and announced lockdown four or five days before New York, and that made all the difference in the world."
According to him, doctors work 14-hour shift a day but luckily there are enough medical protective gear and critical care equipment in his hospital. 
"But we try to preserve as much as possible. Telemedicine is becoming popular as we are treating patients virtually. That also helps us reduce exposure and preserve critical care equipment like masks and gloves.
Impressed by UAE's measures
When US cities like New York is getting crushed under patient numbers, Dr. Al Zaki says he is really impressed by what his country is doing to contain the spread of coronavirus.
"The UAE is probably one of the better places that has been working toward monitoring and screening the population and controlling the spread of the disease effectively
"It is doing an excellent job, and I am impressed by the level of care and dedication that everybody has put in from testing, screening and diagnosing to investing and offering support systems for affected people."
(Dr. Ajlan Al Zaki is an Internal Medicine Resident at Stanford University Hospital. These are his views and may not necessarily represent the views of his institution)

• Abu Dhabi

Anjana Sankar

anjana@khaleejtimes.com