[ti:In Beirut Tragedy, Doctor Finds Renewed Sense of Purpose] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Dr. Bassam Osman says his life changed on August 4. [00:06.56]At around 6 p.m, he was getting ready [00:10.32]to leave the hospital in Beirut where he works. [00:14.24]Then, a huge explosion shook the city. [00:18.80]Hundreds of wounded people came to the American University [00:23.48]of Beirut Medical Center, one of Lebanon's best hospitals. [00:29.28]Doctors who had worked through Lebanon's civil war [00:33.32]said they had never seen anything like it. [00:37.16]In six hours, they used as many emergency supplies [00:43.08]as they would normally use in one and a half years. [00:47.48]Osman, a 27-year-old resident, worked for the next 52 hours. [00:55.40]He treated more than 20 people. [00:58.60]One of them died. [01:00.36]Explosive chemicals, left for years at Beirut's port, caused the disaster. [01:08.24]The explosion has increased public anger against Lebanon's officials, [01:14.56]who are also blamed for the country's economic crisis. [01:19.20]More than 190 people were killed. [01:23.56]Thousands of people were injured. [01:26.20]Tens of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed. [01:31.04]"Day by day, these (crises) are becoming our normal life," [01:35.88]Osman told the AP. "We are tired...It feels like one long marathon." [01:43.24]Osman's earnings dropped in value from nearly $1,300 a month [01:50.16]to just around $200 a month because of the local currency's crash. [01:57.52]He worries harder days may be ahead. [02:00.64]Osman, at the beginning of his career, [02:04.80]finds himself in a medical field that is having problems. [02:09.72]Lebanon's medical centers were once considered [02:13.76]among the best in the Middle East. [02:16.60]In a short time, they have been brought to near collapse. [02:21.64]They have been hurt by Lebanon's financial problems [02:25.76]and an increase in coronavirus cases. [02:29.60]New medical supplies are not coming fast enough. [02:33.84]Medical centers hit by the economic crisis are firing employees. [02:40.48]More doctors are leaving the country. [02:44.32]It will cost nearly $30 million to repair medical centers [02:49.48]damaged by the explosion, the World Health Organization estimates. [02:55.32]At the same time, the health system faces a sharp increase in coronavirus cases. [03:02.80]The International Rescue Committee, an aid group, says that, [03:08.56]since August 4, there has been a 220 percent increase in reported infections. [03:16.40]One woman recently contacted Osman on social media. [03:21.68]She asked for suggestions about finding a plastic surgeon [03:26.40]– a special kind of doctor who repairs or improves people's appearances. [03:32.84]The reason for her question: her wounds from the explosion were stitched badly. [03:40.20]Stiches are special pieces of thread that are used to hold wounds closed. [03:46.40]The woman did not realize that Osman was the one who did the stitching. [03:52.24]Osman admitted responsibility, [03:55.52]noting that the work was done under mobile phone lights. [04:00.20]He asked her to return. [04:03.08]She did, for coffee. [04:05.76]He apologized to her in person. [04:08.80]Later, in an Instagram post, [04:12.20]she thanked him for "putting her back together" and saving her life. [04:18.32]Osman has two more years in his residency program. [04:22.76]Then he plans to go on a fellowship in another country. [04:28.76]He said that in the past it was "a question mark" [04:32.68]whether he would return to Lebanon when it was over. [04:36.84]After the explosion, he is sure he will. [04:41.56]"After I witnessed how much potential there is to give [04:45.36]as a doctor in a country like Lebanon... [04:48.40]I realized that the question marks have all gone away." [04:54.52]I'm John Russell. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM