Understanding the actual needs and bringing hope to the sick and injured 

Dr Harmony To has always dreamed of becoming a doctor since childhood. She always has a desire to work in war-torn and developing regions to provide medical assistance to communities with limited resources. “Through medicine, I have the opportunity to help individuals in every corner of the globe and in diverse circumstances.”

Back in 2009, when she was still in medical school, she actively participated in volunteer medical services outside of Hong Kong, including preventable blindness eradication campaigns for rural villages across Mainland China, as well as rural clinics in the Himalayas and Borneo. “In certain developing regions where even fundamental medical facilities and expertise are lacking, I hope to contribute within my capabilities.”

Dr To joined Médecins Sans Frontières shortly after completing her specialty training in critical care medicine, and soon embarked on her first humanitarian mission overseas. She resigned from her job in Hong Kong and departed for Yemen, where she and her team treated a large number of trauma patients and those with infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and measles. Later, she was deployed to Iraq to support the development of local emergency and intensive care services. While in Yemen, she met a mother who brought her injured son to the hospital. The boy sustained multiple shrapnel injuries from a bomb, and his leg had to be amputated. “The mother had been putting on a façade of strength, caring for the child with a big smile every day. She accepted the amputation as God’s will, but one day I saw her crying alone – I could feel deeply the pressure and pain she must have been going through.” Dr To often reflects on how to make healthcare services sustainable after she and her team have left, “I witness the value of humanitarian work whenever a patient’s life change for the better because of our service.”

There is an unmet need to develop intensive care services in war-torn and developing areas. After leaving Yemen and Iraq, she went on to work as an advisor in the Central African Republic and Afghanistan, providing support and training for local teams to facilitate the sustainable development of intensive care capacity. “In areas where resources are scarce, we need to adapt our services to the local context and tailor our strategies according to the local situations. I hope to make a real, lasting changes for people in those areas by addressing their needs.”

“Humanity is to offer relevant assistance tailored to individuals’ needs, irrespective of their nationalities and races. ”