Joanne Liu, a medical specialist known for helping out in West Africa during the Ebola outbreak, recently offered her support and her medical and epidemiological expertise acquired in the field in order to stem the COVID-19 epidemic in Quebec.
• Read also: Barely cured, an emergency room physician is the subject of a complaint
• Read also: “We entered the crisis ill-equipped”
Against all odds, the offers of the former president of Médecins sans frontières would have been declined since she did not have “the necessary skills”.
“There are a few people who told me that I did not have the skills to respond to epidemics in an environment like Quebec and it is true that I mainly responded to epidemics especially in developing countries. development or in war countries, “she explained to Paul Larocque on LCN.
“The offer still stands,” she added, unable to explain why her expertise was dismissed out of hand.
Asked to comment on the similarities between the current coronavirus crisis and Ebola, Dr. Liu explains that it is difficult to prepare for something you do not know and “it is frightening to see what point it affects everyone from a social, economic and human point of view. ”
Even more striking, Joanne Liu is very affected by the patients who end their days alone.
“Seeing patients die alone, it kills me morally. Humans are not made to die alone, they are made to die with people they love. These are extremely difficult moments of not being able to accompany people we love and of not being able to experience our mourning, “deplores Dr. Liu, recalling that this element particularly marked her in West Africa.
The entire interview with Dr. Joanne Liu can be found at the top of the page.
– .
