MOHAMMED WAFEER
DOHA: DOCTOR OF THE POOR – what a great name someone can gain from the people of his nation, when today’s world is trying to make everything into monetary benefits! It is astonishing to read the story of Dr. Mohammed Mashaly who has left this world yesterday, in Egypt.
“I pledged to God that I would not take a penny from a poor person and that I would remain in my clinic to help the poor.” This selfless statement sums up the attitude and benevolence of Egyptian doctor Mohammed Mashaly, who died on Tuesday morning at the age of 76.
“A little diabetic child came to me crying from pain and telling his mother to inject him with insulin,” he said. “The mother replied to the child, saying that if she buys the insulin shot she would have no money to buy food for his siblings. I still remember that harsh situation, which made me decide to devote my knowledge to treating the poor.” (Dr. Mashaly)
He was from a poor background and having faced a lot of challenges to complete his medical studies, he became a doctor who realized the difficulties and hardships of poor people. He determined himself to serve to poor for lifetime. He treated the poor patients charging only a symbolic fee or sometime for free of charge. He became simply famous because of his reduced fee charged to the patients. He lived his full life of 76 years in the service of poor through his profession.
There have been philanthropists and social welfare activists across the world, of many different nature. Some are spending a huge amount of money to the good cause on social welfare. Some are spending their valuable time in serving the people every now and then. Some are doing the service by means of their knowledge and wisdom to the humanity with no pecuniary benefits.
Today’s world has been changing in a way people are trying to convert everything into monetary value to fill their greediness, under the pretext of serving the humanity, by every means. Good old days, children were advised to choose their field of study in order to serve the humanity at their best. The medical profession has been in the forefront in terms of rendering the selfless services to the people and next has been the teaching profession in that aspect, followed by other professions.
Today it’s crystal clear that indubitably these two great professions have been converted into a huge money making venture in contradictory to its very basic idea of service orientation. Other professions are basically not assumed or considered to be social service oriented by people as they aren’t directly visible as social service due to their differences in nature. However, all professions could serve the humanity, depending upon the mentality and intention of the people involved in such other professions and it doesn’t need to be necessarily medical or teaching profession, for social service.
Today when we hear about “DOCTOR OF THE POOR” dies, leaving entire people of Egypt to mourn, it touches the hearts and making every one shed tears while reading the article on his demise. He had made not only part of his money or some of his time to serve the humanity, but he had gone to the apex of serving the humanity, beginning from his career till he rested in the death bed and breathed last. This is something very extraordinary life, someone could lead and we must salute him and pray for his next life to be rewarded out of best.
Not only the medical professionals but everyone could do the service to the humanity at any scale depending upon the intentions and determination. We need to create such social minded professionals within us to care the underprivileged people who aren’t able to afford their daily needs to run the life comfortably.
Let’s try to take his life as a great lesson and put an effort to practice in our life also, in serving the humanity according to our capacity and ability.
