Nothing (4)
Buuuuung.
An ambulance has just left Obeid Hospital.
Choi Ki-seok, sitting in the passenger seat, crossed his arms and closed his mouth like a lock.
Arif’s earnest eyes as he begged to save his leg.
The feel of your hand when sawing bone during surgery.
The process I went through just before going out flashed through my mind and my heart tingled.
What would it be like if Arif lived in Korea?
It would have been better if I had come a little earlier because the hospital was close.
Even if I had just bought disinfectant at a pharmacy and disinfected it, the leg amputation tragedy would not have occurred.
My heart was heavy at the fact that something that didn’t have to happen happened.
‘It won’t be easy.’
A mischievous smile appeared on his lips.
South Sudan needed a change in its medical welfare environment that went beyond simple medical services. However, in this place where division and conflict are repeated, divided into various ethnic groups, that grand goal seemed as fleeting as a mirage.
“Is something bad happening?”
“It was before we left.”
When he talked about a patient whose leg was amputated, Nareka nodded instead of answering.
“It may be a shocking incident for Dr. Choi, but it is a common occurrence here. “I also saw someone whose entire body was torn to pieces after stepping on a landmine.”
“…Are there still any surprises left?”
“It’s piled up like a mountain.”
Nareka chuckled and continued.
“By the way, I heard that Abna had sleeping sickness. “How does the treatment work?”
“I’m already on my way to the Red Cross because of that. “We must use this opportunity to root out the problem.”
“It’s not like the Red Cross can be sharp…”
“My real goal is not the Red Cross.”
“yes? Then…”
“We will target pharmaceutical companies. “The goal is to produce a treatment for sleeping sickness as quickly as possible.”
“Doctor Choi is going to make a pharmaceutical company move? “Is that possible?”
“If it doesn’t work out, we have to make it happen.”
Choi Ki-seok answered calmly.
Abna’s Sleeping Sickness Unexpected Help from Diamond Button Newtuber Pewdiekai A few days later, Minister of Health Abudi will come to receive CABG.
These three were puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly.
If you get this right, you will definitely be able to achieve the results you want.
“uh? “The path we take today is different?”
Choi Ki-seok found the road unfamiliar and tilted his head.
“It rained until dawn this morning. “The road we used to take was probably flooded, so we have to go back.”
“okay.”
“You will enter the checkpoint in a moment, so don’t be too surprised. “I will take care of everything.”
As the conversation continued, a checkpoint was soon visible in the distance. The checkpoint was a crudely placed guard post next to the road, with two boys with guns standing on either side of the road.
“The sentry is very young.”
As we got closer, the sentry’s face came into view.
To Choi Ki-seok, the two people only looked like they were in their early teens. But to stand on duty with a gun slung over his shoulder at such a young age…
It was a completely unexpected picture.
“You should not be taken lightly just because you are young. “Everyone is wearing live ammunition.”
“Are you a rebel force?”
“yes. “The rebels have taken over this area.”
Nareka answered and stopped the car in front of the checkpoint.
Although he is a veteran of NSF, at this moment, he swallowed dryly due to the tension. Because I have seen so many people die so innocently at checkpoints.
Nareka rolled down the window halfway, took out the bread she had left on the seat, and chewed it.
In addition, he left advice to Choi Ki-seok not to be too scared.
“Are you from NSF?”
A short boy approached the driver’s seat.
“you’re right. “I’ll show you my pass.”
His attitude was extremely polite.
If you ignore child soldiers because they are young, they may not be able to pass the checkpoint even if they have a pass.
“I confirmed it. “Where are we going?”
“Red Cross Hospital.”
“Red Cross hospital? “There is a faster way, so why did you come this way?”
The child soldier’s eyes narrowed.
“It rained until dawn this morning. “I can’t go that way because the bridge is locked.”
“Uhm…”
The boy soldier rubbed his chin and then changed the topic.
“I think my pass is old, so I need to get a new one. “Please give me three dollars.”
“I received it two months ago, but are you telling me to renew it already?”
“Unless you don’t want to pass by.”
Nareka maintained her composure in response to the child soldier’s attitude.
If you have a pass, you have to go through the checkpoint, but the child soldiers are deliberately trying to extort money from you.
“Nareka. What’s wrong?”
Choi Ki-seok, unable to understand the situation as they were talking in the local tribal language, tilted his head.
“You don’t have to worry about Dr. Choi. “I feel safe.”
“mister. “Aren’t you going to give me three dollars?”
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
Nareka stuffed some bread into her pants pocket and got out of the driver’s seat.
Another child soldier was sitting on a chair at the guard post, staring at him with bleary eyes.
It looks like he started taking drugs during the day.
It was fortunate that there was only one person to deal with.
“We are volunteers. I don’t carry anything like money. Would you like to empty your pockets?”
“I have a lot of time. what.”
The child soldier searched Nareka’s pockets without hesitation, but could not find any cash in his possession.
“If you don’t have money, at least give me a condom. “The ambulance vehicle that came by not long ago gave me a box of condoms.”
“There are no condoms.”
“Mr. “What the hell do you have!”
The child soldier’s face was very distorted.
Nevertheless, Nareka persuaded the child soldier without blinking an eye. To be honest, I had cash hidden in the car and condoms in my possession. You can give the child soldier what he wants and pass through the checkpoint with ease.
But it couldn’t be done.
If you give something in return for passing a checkpoint, it becomes the rule.
Moreover, if a bad precedent was set here, there was a high possibility that other relief vehicles would also become victims.
“Please understand that the situation is unavoidable. By the way, do you smoke?”
“yes.”
“The weather is hot, so let’s smoke a cigarette in the shade.”
The child soldier nodded at Nareka’s suggestion.
The two people who were seated under the guard post soon exhaled puffs of cigarette smoke.
While smoking a cigarette, Nareka chatted with the child soldier in a friendly manner. He expressed comfort that the work of a child soldier would be difficult and also confessed his difficulties in his own work.
As a consensus was formed, the child soldier’s expression gradually relaxed.
“Just go.”
“Is that true?”
“If you have a pass, you should send it.”
As the child soldier raised the safety bar with a grumpy expression, Nareka thanked him and climbed into the driver’s seat.
Grumbling.
The ambulance, which had been stopped for over ten minutes, moved again.
“It took longer than I thought. “Look what they asked for?”
“That’s the way it is. Anyway, I’m glad I moved on wisely.”
Nareka sighed in relief and concentrated on driving.
Eventually, the two traveled a long way and arrived at the Red Cross Hospital.
Choi Ki-seok got out of the car and immediately went to the hospital director’s office and explained the project to him.
After receiving enthusiastic approval from the hospital director, he moved to the hospital room and, with the same consent, filmed videos of sleeping sick patients and conducted interviews.
“Many people are dying here from sleeping sickness. Of course, treatments exist, but existing treatments are so toxic that they actually lead patients to death. I believe you will fully understand the situation since you have personally seen patients struggling in pain and becoming thinner even while receiving treatment. Everyone, pain and suffering has no borders. Please remember that your little interest and consideration can help these people through their difficult lives.”
The video shooting was completed in one hour along with the closing remarks.
“Are you done with your work?”
After finishing work, Nareka got into the car and looked surprised.
“yes. “You can go back now.”
“I thought they were there to borrow treatment tools or transport a patient, but I was horribly wrong.”
“Aren’t you tired?”
Choi Ki-seok continued speaking with a smile.
“The reason I came to the hospital was to take videos of sleeping sick patients. “There are more sleeping sick patients at the Red Cross than at our hospital.”
“It has to do with Abna.”
“yes. “It’s the first step.”
While returning to Obeid Hospital, Choi Ki-seok carefully checked his future plans.
Abna was not treated with Melasop and was enduring sleeping sickness only with intravenous fluid therapy.
There must be no mistakes for her speedy treatment.
However, while passing the checkpoint and returning to the hospital, a group of soldiers blocked the road.
“Who are those people?”
“I don’t think he’s a rebel… I don’t know what he’s doing either. “I’ll stop the car first.”
When Nareka stopped the car, the soldiers shouted harsh words and forced the two men to get out of the car.
puck!
A soldier hit Nareka on the head with the butt of his gun and he fell helplessly to the floor.
“What on earth are you doing…”
Choi Ki-seok also collapsed on the spot, unable to finish his sentence.
* * *
My head was heavy.
It felt like someone had placed a large rock in my head.
“Ahhh.”
Choi Ki-seok barely managed to get up while holding his heavy head.
My consciousness became clear and the surrounding scenery slowly came into view.
The place he was currently in was like a prison with bars. Every time I took a breath, the smell of dirt and moisture filled my nose, and it was pitch dark as not a single light came into the room.
“Nareka! are you okay?”
My anxiety grew as I heard my own voice echoing in the air.
He fumbled around with his hands, repeating Nareka’s name.
After struggling for a while, something caught on my fingertips. It was dark so I couldn’t see who it was, but the thought that it was Nareka crossed my mind.
“Phew…”
He breathed a sigh of relief after checking Nareka’s breathing and pulse.
While adjusting to the darkness, Nareka stood up.
“Ugh. “It’s the head.”
“Nareka are you awake? “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine except for the headache. “What about Dr. Choi?”
“I’m fine too. “But how did this come about?”
“I think I was kidnapped. “There are often cases where some armed groups kidnap members of aid organizations and demand money.”
“Ha…”
Choi Ki-seok laughed empty-handed.
I have imagined many things that would happen when I come to Sudan, but there was no kidnapping among them.
The current situation felt like a dream.
“What happens if NSF doesn’t give me my release money?”
“You will rot in this horrible place for a few days and then die. “This is a place where it’s not strange at all no matter how someone dies.”
“what the.”
He leaned against the cave wall and bit his lip.
Although he had treated countless dying people and overcome the hardships of life and death, it was difficult to maintain his composure now.
The dark prison seemed to hint at his future.
Jerk. Jerk.
After a while, a figure holding a flashlight approached the prison, accompanied by the sound of cold footsteps.
“The prophet wants to see you.”
Kiiiiig.
The bar door opened with an unfriendly voice.
