45 years in medicine that began with a promise to his father
LIBYA – A report by the British newspaper the Lancashire Evening Post has looked at the experience of Younes Bazza, a Libyan doctor living in Britain, after a 45-year medical career.
Retirement at 69
The report, followed and summarised by Al-Marsad, said Bazza had worked in the emergency department at Chorley’s hospitals and retired at 69, and that he now plans to devote more of his time to saving lives around the world.
The story began in Libya
According to the report, Bazza’s career began with a promise he made to his father as a child in Libya, which drove him to stay in medicine for almost half a century.
He was quoted as saying that when he was about 10 years old, his father fell seriously ill, held his hand and asked him to become a doctor so that he could treat him. That prompted him to concentrate on his studies and finish secondary school in Libya.
Studying medicine in Italy, then returning to Libya
Bazza said he then moved to Italy to attend medical school because the medical school in Libya admitted only a limited number of students at the time. He stayed there for several years after graduating before returning to Libya to work in general surgery.
Move to Britain in 1990
He added that his journey to Britain began in 1990, when he went to Manchester to complete a PhD, and that he was offered a job in Chorley five years later.
He said he had moved between several medical specialties before settling in the emergency department, recalling some of the first cases he handled after it opened.
A critical case on 26 August 1996
Bazza described a case on 26 August 1996, when a patient was brought into the emergency department with a deep cut to the neck and severe bleeding after being thrown from a window. He said he began resuscitation and tried to stop the bleeding.
He added that the consultant asked him to take the patient to the operating theatre, where surgery lasted about six hours and the patient survived.
Saving a patient thought to be dead
Bazza recalled another incident in which paramedics brought in a patient and asked him to confirm the death. When he examined the patient’s chest, he said, he heard a faint sound showing that the patient was trying to breathe.
He explained that the patient had a chest injury that had caused a collapsed lung and cardiac arrest, and that inserting a tube into the chest helped save his life.
Staying calm in the golden minutes
Bazza stressed that medical teams cannot afford to panic in emergencies. Instead, he said, they must rely on their training, patience and expertise and stay calm, underlining the importance of intervening within the “golden minutes” to save a patient.
He added that teamwork is essential in handling critical cases.
Last shift on 30 September
The report said the retiring doctor’s last shift was on 30 September, and that he expressed confidence that his team would continue to work efficiently.
10 children and 22 grandchildren
Bazza said that after 45 years of saving lives he felt it was time to rest, or to cut back on work, and to spend more time with his 10 children and 22 grandchildren.
He added that eight of his children had completed university, among them three pharmacists, an optometrist, a surgeon, a physiotherapist, an Arabic-English media translator and an aeronautical engineer, while his youngest child is still studying.
Returning to Libya and volunteering
Bazza said he did not intend to give up medicine altogether, adding that he would spend a few months in Libya helping to provide health services free of charge and would like to work as a volunteer doctor in Africa and developing countries.
He said he did not plan to accept payment for this work, which he does for the sake of God, and expressed his gratitude to God and for the support he receives from his family and colleagues.
Still answering the call
Bazza said he would not refuse to help, even in his free time, if asked, stressing that his aim is to help people, that he had worked sincerely and wholeheartedly throughout those years, and that he loved working in Chorley.
