An anonymous surgeon who has worked in disaster zones has described the horror of treating protesters shot by security forces during Iran's recent crackdown. The doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the situation in Tehran's hospitals was unlike anything they had ever experienced.
The surgeon arrived at a hospital in Tehran on the night of 8 January, as anti-regime protests that began in late December escalated. Initially, patients had pellet wounds, but by 8pm the internet and mobile networks were cut, and gunfire erupted. The injured arriving at the hospital had been shot with live ammunition, including war bullets designed to pass through the body.
Over two nights, the hospital, which normally performs two emergency surgeries, carried out about 18 operations between 9pm and 6am. Hundreds of patients with gunshot wounds and severe trauma arrived, overwhelming resources. The surgeon described a shortage of surgeons, nurses, anaesthesiologists, operating rooms, and blood products.
The doctor heard heavy machine gun fire, including DShK machine guns mounted on pickup trucks, and said the atmosphere was unmistakably not policing but something else. Many injured people avoided hospitals for fear of security forces demanding patient information, a system that existed before the protests.
The crackdown is estimated to have led to the deaths of more than 5,000 people, according to reports. The surgeon concluded: 'You keep operating because you have no choice... but part of you is breaking.'
