Sidra Medicine Psychiatrist Highlights Urgent Mental Health Needs Of Women And Children In Conflict Zones

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) In the latest episode of the Afikra podcast, hosted by Mikey Muhanna, the spotlight is cast on a deeply pressing yet often overshadowed subject - mental healthcare for women and children in crisis-affected areas. Featured guest Dr Atif Elbushra Magbool, a consultant psychiatrist at Sidra Medicine in Qatar, speaks with raw honesty and clinical insight about the challenges and triumphs of supporting survivors of war, displacement, and trauma - particularly from Gaza and Sudan.
Dr Atif's work brings him face-to-face with the youngest victims of conflict. Their stories are harrowing, their resilience remarkable, and their psychological wounds often as deep as their physical ones. At a time when healthcare infrastructure in many war zones is collapsing, Dr. Atif and his colleagues at Sidra Medicine are creating a critical lifeline - not only through surgery and medicine, but through empathy, cultural understanding, and long-term psychiatric care.
A Childhood Spark: From Sudan to Sidra Medicine
Dr Atif's journey into psychiatry was rooted in his early childhood in Tabat, a small town in Sudan. As a child, he witnessed both the traditional healing rituals of his village and the limitations - sometimes even dangers - of those methods.
“I saw a young man being beaten because they believed he was possessed by jinn,” he recalls.“That image stayed with me... I thought there must be a more compassionate, scientific way to help.”
This early experience, combined with witnessing undiagnosed developmental conditions in his classmates, set him on a path that would eventually take him through medical training in Sudan, specialization in adult psychiatry in Ireland and child and adolescent psychiatry in the UK, and finally to Qatar, where he joined Sidra Medicine eight years ago.
Understanding Child Psychiatry in a War Context
Child psychiatry, Dr. Atif explains, differs fundamentally from working with adults.“Children often can't express their feelings the way adults do,” he says.“You need to use play therapy, art, and observation - to understand what they can't articulate.”
In war zones like Gaza and Sudan, these challenges multiply exponentially. Children arrive with profound trauma, having lost parents, siblings, limbs, homes - and often, their entire sense of safety.
“Imagine a five-year-old who won't sleep because she fears an airstrike on the hospital,” Dr. Atif recounts.“We told her she's safe, that she's far away. But she couldn't feel it. Her trauma was still alive in her body.”
The Gaza Patient Program: A Lifeline
At the centre of Sidra Medicine's humanitarian mission is the Gaza Patient Program, launched in 2014 to offer comprehensive care to children injured in Israeli airstrikes. These young survivors are brought to Qatar, where they receive medical, surgical, and psychological support in a coordinated, multidisciplinary effort.
“From day one, we make sure the children and their caregivers feel safe,” Dr Atif says.“Only then can healing begin.”
The programme involves triage teams of psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, and social workers. Children go through various therapies - from supportive listening and play therapy to trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). In severe cases, psychiatric medications are prescribed.
One of the most pressing challenges, however, is that for many children, the trauma is ongoing.“We talk about post-traumatic stress disorder - but for Gaza's children, the trauma is not in the past,” he explains.“It's continuous. There is no 'post.'”
The Burden on Mothers
As a women-and-children-focused institution, Sidra Medicine also provides psychiatric care to mothers and female caregivers - many of whom carry the dual burden of their own trauma and that of their children.
“Women in these situations face unique psychological challenges - from lack of hygiene products and reproductive health care to the pressures of caring for children in shelters,” Dr Atif explains.“Many are grieving lost children or family members while trying to stay strong for those who remain.”
In some cases, societal pressures also lead to child marriage or early motherhood, further compounding the emotional toll on young women.
The Controversy of 'Resilience'
A compelling part of the podcast episode is Dr. Atif's discussion of the term“resilience.” While often used to praise communities in conflict zones, the term has come under scrutiny for masking the prolonged injustice these people endure.
“Yes, many Palestinian children show remarkable resilience,” Dr Atif acknowledges.“But they shouldn't have to. Resilience shouldn't be a requirement for surviving childhood.”
He shares that many children he has treated from war zones - including in Ireland and the UK - struggled far more than some of the Palestinian and Sudanese children.“Their coping mechanisms were astonishing,” he says.“But that doesn't mean they don't need care - or that the world should let them suffer silently.”
Healing the Healer
Mikey Muhanna, the host, asks Dr Atif the deeply personal question: how does he cope with the emotional toll of his work?
“At first, I was overwhelmed,” Dr Atif confesses.“I heard stories that broke me... a child pulled from the rubble, the only survivor in her family. You don't know what to say. You can't promise things will get better - because even you are unsure.”
To stay grounded, he says, he practices compartmentalisation.“I listen and I help. But when I go home, I try to leave the stories at the hospital. I don't want it to affect my children, my family.”
But he also draws strength from his patients.“Some of these kids... the way they speak, their bravery. They gave me strength.”
What Happens After the War?
When asked about the future - about what happens once the war in Gaza ends - Dr Atif answers with caution and hope.
“Most Palestinians want to return home. But mental health doesn't exist in a vacuum. If they return to a place with no safety, no infrastructure, no stability - we cannot expect healing.”
He stresses that while Sidra Medicine and Qatar have done an exceptional job supporting these patients, that care must be replicated and sustained post-conflict.“We need long-term mental health services, education, trained professionals, safe housing. And above all - peace.”
A Call to Action
Dr Atif ends the episode with a powerful message:“There is no mental health without safety. There is no mental health without ending this genocide.”
He calls on the global community - governments, NGOs, and individuals - to do more. Not just to treat symptoms, but to address root causes: displacement, occupation, and ongoing violence.
“Children should not need therapy to feel safe,” he says.“They should be safe. That's the starting point of all healing.”
Final Thoughts
This episode of the Afikra podcast is a sobering, necessary listen. Dr Atif Elbushra Magbool's work at Sidra Medicine is not just about treating trauma - it's about bearing witness to the silent aftermath of war, about preserving dignity in the face of devastation, and about advocating for a future where children don't have to be 'resilient' to survive.
It is a reminder to all of us that mental health is not a luxury. It is a human right - and one that begins with peace.

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