New Jersey medical student calls out the American health care system
Protesters holding a “Healthcare Workers Against Genocide” banner. (Photo courtesy of NJMS4Palestine)
Doctors pledge to do no harm. So, as a genocide takes place before our very eyes, the silence of our medical institutions has led to widespread disgust and shame on the part of medical students, residents, and attending physicians. As medical students, many of us got into this field with the same goal: to help people. However, watching this blatant hypocrisy from the institutions and individuals that I would otherwise respect is horrifying.
More than 27,365 people have already been confirmed dead in Gaza, with many more under the rubble and over 66,000 injured. Around 70% of the fatalities are women and children. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 75% of the population are displaced with concerns for malnutrition. UNICEF released a statement in early February estimating that, of the 1.7 million people displaced in Gaza, at least 17,000 are unaccompanied or separated children.
UN agencies called on Israel to open new routes for the entry of aid into Gaza, warning of famine and the spread of disease. In January, UN human rights experts stated that Gazans constituted 80% of all people facing famine or catastrophic hunger globally, with all children under 5 in Gaza being at high risk for severe malnutrition and stunting. The statement also accused Israel of “destroying Gaza’s food system and using food as a weapon against the Palestinian people.” In October, Amnesty International reported that Gaza’s healthcare system is “close to ruin” after the 16 years of Israel’s blockade and with the recent escalation in bombing.
Last month, with the release of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) ruling on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, Amnesty International, which has previously warned of genocide in Gaza, called on Israel to comply with the ICJ’s order of provisional measures to prevent genocide and ensure humanitarian aid to the civilians of Gaza. Yet, the response from Israel and its Western allies has been vile, to say the least. Israel accused 12 staff members of UNRWA, the largest humanitarian organization that serves the people of Gaza, of being involved in the attacks of October 7, and Israel’s allies soon followed suit by cutting funding, with the US taking the lead.
Israel’s targeting of healthcare and aid workers has led to the tragic losses of nurses, doctors, surgeons, and paramedics. In November 2023, Israeli tanks parked in front of Al-Shifa Hospital with frightened people inside waiting to flee. With power cut off and lack of medications and equipment, premature babies who needed incubators were left without temperature regulation or enough milk. Medecins Sans Frontieres reported that its convoy, clearly labeled and attempting to safely evacuate to southern Gaza, was attacked by the Israeli army, killing two people. Human Rights Watch has labeled the Israeli attacks on healthcare workers and facilities “unlawful” and called for investigating them as “war crimes.” Healthcare Workers Watch reported that, as of January 23 of this year, 403 healthcare workers have been killed by Israeli attacks, an estimated 4 workers per day.
Fed up with the inaction of the country’s leadership, people have taken to the streets in mass protests. In fact, healthcare workers have organized and led many of these actions, including teach-ins, vigils, and die-ins. In New Jersey specifically, New Jersey Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School both held their own teach-ins, and Robert Wood Johnson also held a write-in, where students at each campus wrote the now outdated list of over 6,000 names of Palestinians killed in Gaza. Healthcare workers in New Jersey also had a die-in on December 18 in solidarity with the healthcare workers and civilians of Gaza.
Protesters at the NJ healthcare workers die-in on Dec. 18, 2023. (Photo courtesy of NJMS4Palestine)
Still, the nation’s most powerful medical establishment has refused to take a stand against what is clearly an apartheid state. On November 9, a statement from the American Medical Association board emphasized medical neutrality as it offered words of solidarity with healthcare workers. However, when the AMA House of Delegates met, members voted 136-458 to not discuss a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Palestine and Israel in order to protect healthcare workers and civilians. Given that the AMA is the largest medical lobbying group in the United States, its words have impact, as does its silence. This is in contrast to its stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, about which then-President Gerald Harmon said, “We join physicians everywhere … who are calling for an end to this war so we can work on healing the terrible damage already inflicted.” Dr. Harmon further stated that “the Russian military targeting of health care facilities violates every standard of decency.” Where is such language for hospitals in Gaza?
At the same time, medical institutions that stress the importance of healthcare affordability — as many in our own country forgo care because of the cost, and suffer worse health for it — remain silent when this country sends $3.8 billion in American tax dollars to support a foreign military rather than making healthcare more affordable at home. And those who have the courage to speak out face harsh retaliation.
In October, Dr. Ben Thomson was suspended for questioning the posting of unverified reports of beheaded babies and rapes at the hands of Hamas. In November, in Ontario, Canada, Dr. Tarek Loubani, an emergency medicine doctor, was placed under an investigation for speaking out and protesting for Palestine. Michael Eisen, the former editor in chief of eLife, also posted on Instagram that he was being replaced after retweeting a piece that criticized the lack of concern for Palestinian lives. In New York, Dr. Zaki Masoud was removed from service at New York University Langone Health after resharing a post in solidarity with Palestinian resistance on his personal Instagram account. Similarly, Dr. Dana Diab at Lenox Hill Hospital was accused of celebrating Hamas attacks and fired after she posted a reel on her Instagram story, though she stated that she “never called for harm to anyone.” In New Jersey, a physician was fired from Jersey Shore Medical Center for posting a message in support of Palestine on social media.
Despite these grim outcomes, dissenting voices are being heard. The American Medical Student Association is advocating for an “immediate, permanent ceasefire” and calls on “President Biden and Congress to take prompt action.” In November, the American Public Health Association Governing Council also called for a ceasefire. Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles has also called for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire,” and faculty members of schools of public health and medical schools throughout the nation signed an open letter to President Biden calling for an immediate ceasefire.
The targeting and doxxing of healthcare workers and students must end. Our institutions cannot expect healthcare workers — who place so much value on ethics, action, and service — to do and say nothing as a genocide takes place before our eyes. We chose this field specifically to improve the lives of individuals and communities, and that means speaking out against racism, against apartheid, against genocide. It’s not just our right — it’s our duty.