Columbus Doctor Shares Shocking Firsthand Experience from Gaza Crisis
Columbus, OH –A Columbus doctor is drawing attention to a worsening humanitarian emergency in the Middle East after returning from a medical mission in the conflict zone. Dr. Nick Maynard, a gastrointestinal surgeon trained at Oxford and now based in Ohio, shared powerful firsthand accounts of working in Gaza hospitals during a recent event at the Columbus Mennonite Church.
Since 2010, Maynard has traveled frequently to the region, working alongside local physicians to deliver surgical care under life-threatening conditions. His latest visits followed the October 2023 outbreak of Gaza war, and he described scenes of destruction, severe trauma cases, and an overwhelmed healthcare system struggling without basic resources.
“From the moment we arrived, the sound of drones never stopped,” Maynard told the audience of nearly 100 attendees. “We operated with no gloves, no medicine, and no anesthesia.”
In one of the most heart-wrenching cases, he described two injured children lying on the floor of a hospital while emergency surgery was underway just feet away. Only one child survived.
Maynard said the hospitals he worked in were frequently targeted by airstrikes, and that many of his colleagues have been abducted, tortured, or killed. He reported that over 1,000 medical professionals have died during the conflict, with hundreds more imprisoned. “This is no accident,” he emphasized. “These are deliberate acts.”
Originally scheduled to speak at the Ohio State University Global Health Symposium, Maynard’s keynote was canceled due to campus tensions. Another scheduled event at the Ohio History Connection was also pulled. Determined to share the reality he witnessed, local organizers at Columbus Mennonite Church stepped in.
“This is about basic human dignity,” said Pastor Joel Miller. “We must amplify these stories.”
Many attendees expressed shock and gratitude. Akshay Garesh, a medical student at OSU, said he thought he understood the headlines, but hearing a firsthand perspective made the situation real.
“The suffering goes beyond statistics,” he said. “You see the people behind the numbers.”
Maynard also underscored the growing mental health crisis in the region, especially among children. Nearly a million young people are estimated to require psychological care for trauma, anxiety, and depression brought on by the conflict.
His message to the Columbus community was clear: citizens have the power to speak up, support humanitarian efforts, and hold leaders accountable. “These are people with families, dreams, and futures,” he said. “They need our voices.”
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