KUALA LUMPUR: Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai was visiting Warsaw, Poland, early this month when he unhesitatingly answered a call of duty to serve as a medical volunteer at a centre sheltering Ukrainian refugees in the city.
The Malaysian doctor had volunteered at the Warsaw Central Station for 11 days, providing medical care to thousands of Ukrainians who crossed into Poland to escape the incessant bombardments by the Russians in their homeland.
Recounting his experience, Dr Muruga said he was concerned over the safety of his three children and his brother's two children who are all students at the Medical University of Warsaw following the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict – so he decided to head to Poland to be with them on March 3.
"After making sure my children are safe, I was then informed by my son that there are many Ukrainian refugees who were starting to come to the Warsaw Central Station to seek shelter.
"At that instant, I decided I can render my services; and served as a medical volunteer there from March 8 to 19," the 55-year-old general practitioner at a polyclinic in Johor told Bernama.
His selfless act embodied how humanity and compassion know no boundaries by making a real difference in the lives of the refugees at the centre.
Dr Muruga, who is also the president-elect of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), said it was devastating to see how the refugees, especially children, with only minimal belongings, had to be separated from their family members to cross into Poland.
"This chaotic situation happened because all Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are temporarily restricted from leaving their country.
"Many of them left Ukraine and crossed the border to seek refuge in Poland, leaving their fathers, sons, brothers, and husbands, back home. There is no communication between them," he said.
He said many had fled without any personal documents or medications that they depended on.
"Most of the refugees are undergoing stress and anxiety as there is no definite date for or when they will be able to return to their homeland.
"It was disheartening to see how some Ukrainian refugees made their journey to Warsaw without any of their personal documents with them as the situation in the country was just so chaotic," he said.
At least 1,000 refugees were given medical attention at the centre daily.
As such, he said volunteers at the centre, including him and his medical team, had tried their best to provide as much care and round-the-clock medical attention to those in need.
Dr Muruga, who inherited the passion of doing social work from his late father, C. Rajathurai, said he was also humbled by the humanitarian efforts and compassion of the Polish citizens in assisting the Ukrainian refugees in their country.
He said his children are also doing their part in helping to raise money for the refugees by getting involved in international bodies like the (International) Red Cross society.
"My son is also helping to source and distribute food daily to the refugees," he said, adding that he returned to Malaysia on March 21.
According to estimates by the UN, more than 1,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,650 were reportedly injured while more than 3.67 million Ukrainians have fled to neighbouring countries since Russia started the war on Feb 24. — BERNAMA