Professor Martin Griffiths CBE, Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at BSMS and Consultant Trauma and Vascular Surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust, recently returned from a humanitarian mission in Gaza, where he served as a general surgeon with UK-Med, the UK’s official Emergency Medical Team (EMT).
UK-Med, an international NGO supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), operates field hospitals in crisis zones to deliver emergency medical care where it is most needed. Professor Griffiths worked in Al-Mawasi Field Hospital and spent time at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, treating patients with severe trauma injuries amid devastating conditions. He described the working conditions in Gaza as some of the most challenging of his career.
“There is almost no equipment or infrastructure,” he said. “Buildings are damaged, medications are limited and surgical instruments are worn out and constantly being repaired. Patients arrive malnourished, often with injuries that are days or even weeks old and badly infected. Infection rates for even clean surgeries can reach 60–70%. Automatic weapons fire and explosions are a constant backdrop. You learn to normalise the notion of threat – otherwise, you simply can’t function.”
He added that exhaustion and psychological trauma were widespread among staff, many of whom had recently lost family members. “Yet the Gazan clinicians are brilliant – kind, generous and deeply committed to caring for their communities despite unimaginable hardship.”
Professor Griffiths described the mission as both challenging and transformative, testing his surgical adaptability and leadership in an austere, high-risk environment. He highlighted the professionalism and resilience of local healthcare workers and the importance of neutrality and compassion in humanitarian medicine.
“Working in a conflict zone gives you a new perspective – on courage, on teamwork and on what really matters. I’ve learned to be bolder, kinder and more reflective,” he said. “There’s more to being a clinician than mastering your speciality. If you have the skills and opportunity, humanitarian work is an incredible way to make a real difference.”
He also expressed gratitude for the support of friends and colleagues throughout his deployment, acknowledging the emotional toll on those following events from afar.
Professor Griffiths’ mission underscores the vital role of skilled clinicians in global crises – and the ongoing need for collaboration, compassion, and commitment to care, even in the most difficult circumstances.
Professor Griffiths was awarded a CBE in 2021 and a Honorary Degree by BSMS in 2024 as part of the school’s 20-year anniversary celebrations.
