07-01-2015 - Hero Gaza Doctor Mads Gilbert is Named Norways Person of the Year. An outspoken Norwegian doctor whose efforts to treat Palestinians wounded in the Gaza conflict garnered worldwide attention has been named person of the year by the countrys largest tabloid, Verdens Gang (VG). Mads Gilbert, 67,whose day job is head physician and anaesthesiologist as the University Hospital of North Norway, spent more than fifty days treating many of the 11,000 injured in this summers conflict, The Local reported. Gilbert was vocal in his criticism of Israel during the war, describing the countrys actions as state terrorism at the highest levels. Israel later banned the doctor from Gaza. The ban was officially for security reasons, but Gilbert himself claimed the ban was due to his comments about the war. Israel denied reports that the ban was for life. He gave graphic accounts to international media of the situation in Gazas hospitals, describing how civilians were maimed and torne apart. In an open letter to the Lancet medical journal, he and a number of other doctors said they were appalled by the military onslaught on civilians in Gaza under the guise of punishing terrorists. Gilberts is a controversial figure in Norway, where he is considered to be on the far-left fringe of politics. Following the 9/11 attacks in 2001 he said he supported terror attacks against the US, saying western foreign policy justified them. The award was the result of a vote among VGs readers. Explaining the award, VGs editor Torry Pedersen described Gilbert as a self-sacrificing, engaged Norwegian doctor who again and again has risked his life, has stood in the middle of a bloodbath in Gaza, and who has just one goal: to save the lives of as many children as he can. Accepting the prize, Gilbert said he interpreted the award as support, not primarily for me, but for the long-suffering Palestinian people. I think that people are longing for plain speaking, to know whats really happening in Gaza. Im trying to fill that role as best I can. Doctor Mads Gilbert was Born in Oslo, 1947. He was Head physician specializing in anesthesiology at University Hospital of North Norway. For over 30 years he has been working in international conflict areas, especially Gaza. He received many awards including Fritt Ords Honorary Prize (2009), and was appointed Commander to the Order of St Olaf (2013).Gilbert received PhD at University of Iowa.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 12:39:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015