I’m reminded of an incident that took place about 5yrs ago somewhere in this republic we call Kenya. At the time there was a lot of armed conflict between two rival communities.
Normal day at work. A fellow is brought to hospital with gunshot wounds. It’s deemed an emergency and fellow is wheeled into theatre. Surgery goes well but just before winding up, there’s some commotion and lots of noise coming from outside. Then bang! A group of masked (wearing that Arabic-type of headgear worn by men) armed men kick open the door to theatre and demand for the surgeon to stop operating and let the patient die.
All staff try to negotiate but the armed fellows would hear none of it. Turns out the injured man now on the operating table is from their rival community with whom they were in conflict. The armed men (numbering about ten) threaten to shoot everyone in the room if no one complied.
Attempted ‘negotiations’ yield nothing. Reluctantly, the anesthetist turns off the anesthesia and patient begins to ‘wake up’. Satisfied that no operation will proceed, the armed men leave and congregate at a corridor outside the theatre conversing in low tones.
Surgeon takes the opportunity to quickly suture the patient while one of the staff members watches thru the window. Only this time, the patient is sutured while fully conscious of the pain!! Meanwhile, the gang out there is all relaxed and some even take off the headgear.
Wonder of wonders! One of them was a member of staff working in that very hospital, who was on his annual leave!! Anyway, the patient survived.