Part 3
28 /3 to 4/4/2003:
The attacks continued on Baghdad, and each day we received tens of casualties. We were hearing from the people that attended the hospital that the US forces are advancing to the outskirts of Baghdad, some of these people had saw them with their own eyes.
I was confused about what would happen when the US forces invade Baghdad? What will be the response of the Iraqi forces and the people? I just could not guess.
During these days I received some minor cases from service men, usually from Baath Party members. After I examine them and decide to discharge them, some will ask me to write anything in the report to grant them a sick leave. I understood their requests. They were mostly young men and did not fight in a war before. They were students or working class men who were forced to carry weapons and fight the invaders. I do not consider them cowards; they are just young people who are not prepared to fight.
I have always apologized to them and explained that it was not my authority to write such reports, and it was really the case.
I have also heard from patients that the special militia forces named (Saddam's Fedayeen) were preventing the withdrawing Iraqi forces from leaving the battlefield. "They were shooting at us", a man in uniform told me. "We were trying to tell them that we are transferring injured soldiers from Al Rasheed Military Hospital which was attacked by the US, but they just refused to hear us."
The number of doctors and nursing staff begin to decrease because many of them could not reach the hospital as public transportation ground to a halt The roads were very dangerous and the US forces were shooting on civilians and any moving vehicle.
On 4 April, we have heard that the US forces reached the outskirts of Saddam International Airport. That night I saw Mr. Al-Sahhaf on the national TV telling the reporters that this would be their graveyard. "Besides," he added, "we have decided to allow the invading forces so that we can nail them down."
5-6/4/2003:
The number of casualties we received in these two days outnumbered all our bed capacity. I remained in the hospital as the only resident junior doctor. My brother visited me today, I told him to say my greetings to my mother and father, and that I will stay in the hospital indefinitely as there is no other doctor to hand over the patient to.
Our operation room was working in its full capacity, and our consultants delivered their best service to the patients. I remember especially the great work of Dr. Waleed Abdul Majeed Al Dori, the orthopedic consultant who did not leave the hospital from this day onward, for a total of more than two weeks.
I also can not forget the work of Dr. Dhafir Fuaad and anesthesia consultants Dr. Majid and Dr. Ahmed and many others who stayed with us in the hospital at these dreadful nights.
Our nursing stuff was great in delivering the best service and many relatives of our patients helped us in our work.
