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Doctors/Soldiers: Difficult Duty
Aired May 16, 2003 - 15:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: During the war, you saw him often, our Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the front lines in Iraq, embedded with the Devil Docs. The story of how these doctors balanced the duties of medicine and the military is a subject of a CNN documentary that will air Sunday night.
Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the time comes, the Devil Docs ask no questions, do not hesitate and offer the same respect, dignity and care for every patient.
But on March 23, their job got harder. Listening to international radio reports, the Devil Docs hear that four Americans have been captured and were believed to have been executed.
Within moments of hearing this news, they carry a 43-year-old soldier to the operating room. He is Iraqi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to take a look at your abdomen here.
GUPTA: They are doctors and they are American soldiers. And in their very first operation, they are treating the enemy.
LT. TOMMY OLSON, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT, U.S. NAVY: I have reservations at times about using our supplies and I'm going, What are you doing here, pal? But we help them anyway.
TAMMY J. DEVRIES, CHIEF PETTY OFFICER, U.S. NAVY: It's not always easy and we're not here to make policies. We're here to do what we came to do and if that's what they want us to do, then that's what we'll do.
GUPTA: The Iraqi soldier has significant injuries and time is key. Awake, but likely to die without his operation. Vital information is clearly marked with ink on his forehead and his chest. Ten milligrams of morphine to show that the pain medication has already been given. And GSW to the ABD -- gunshot wound to the abdomen.
As best they can, the surgeons explain what they'll be doing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're getting the medicine ready to get you to sleep.
GUPTA: As they prepare for the operation, one Devil Doc says, We're operating on their guys at the same time they are killing ours.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Wow. Talk about ethics in the battlefield.
GUPTA: Right, yes.
I mean, this is -- this is not only moral issues, medical common sense, but also legal issue as well. I mean, I talked to these doctors about it and despite the fact that they're hearing that their comrades, the four U.S. soldiers are being executed, they're operating on this Iraqi, what they call the EPW, enemy prisoner of war.
And they didn't hesitate. They kept saying medical triage, not political triage. We make our decisions based on medicine, who is most likely to benefit from an operation, who's most likely to survive and who needs it most. And that's -- that's how they make their decision.
PHILLIPS: So it's whoever they think will definitely have the better chance of living.
GUPTA: That's right.
PHILLIPS: So if it's up against an Iraqi and American, they might have to go the Iraqi side.
GUPTA: That's right. And it becomes most poignant when, you know, you get down to the last supplies, like the last pint of blood. Who do you give it to if you have two patients, one coalition force member and one Iraqi? How do you make those decisions?
And I asked and I pushed them on this point and they said it's really just medical and we can't let the politics come into this.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Now, what happened this to Iraqi soldier? Did he live?
GUPTA: He lived. Yes, he was probably in his mid 40s. He had a significant gunshot would not to the abdomen and as -- as the rest of the documentary will show, there's a lot of -- there was a significant amount of bleeding, even from that small gunshot wound to the abdomen. And that's very indicative and very reflective of the sort of injuries they were seeing out there.
PHILLIPS: Sunday night, the Devil Docs. I know you've got a lot of amazing stories. I wish we could talk about this for a few hours.
GUPTA: Yes. Well, we're really excited. We're really proud of it. I think some -- some images that people aren't used to seeing on television are going to show up here on Sunday night.
PHILLIPS: Well, we are incredibly proud of you, Sanjay Gupta.
GUPTA: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Thank you so much. All right.
Well, don't forget, you can see the entire program about the Devil Docs, like we said, this Sunday, 8 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 16, 2003 - 15:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: During the war, you saw him often, our Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the front lines in Iraq, embedded with the Devil Docs. The story of how these doctors balanced the duties of medicine and the military is a subject of a CNN documentary that will air Sunday night.
Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the time comes, the Devil Docs ask no questions, do not hesitate and offer the same respect, dignity and care for every patient.
But on March 23, their job got harder. Listening to international radio reports, the Devil Docs hear that four Americans have been captured and were believed to have been executed.
Within moments of hearing this news, they carry a 43-year-old soldier to the operating room. He is Iraqi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to take a look at your abdomen here.
GUPTA: They are doctors and they are American soldiers. And in their very first operation, they are treating the enemy.
LT. TOMMY OLSON, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT, U.S. NAVY: I have reservations at times about using our supplies and I'm going, What are you doing here, pal? But we help them anyway.
TAMMY J. DEVRIES, CHIEF PETTY OFFICER, U.S. NAVY: It's not always easy and we're not here to make policies. We're here to do what we came to do and if that's what they want us to do, then that's what we'll do.
GUPTA: The Iraqi soldier has significant injuries and time is key. Awake, but likely to die without his operation. Vital information is clearly marked with ink on his forehead and his chest. Ten milligrams of morphine to show that the pain medication has already been given. And GSW to the ABD -- gunshot wound to the abdomen.
As best they can, the surgeons explain what they'll be doing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're getting the medicine ready to get you to sleep.
GUPTA: As they prepare for the operation, one Devil Doc says, We're operating on their guys at the same time they are killing ours.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Wow. Talk about ethics in the battlefield.
GUPTA: Right, yes.
I mean, this is -- this is not only moral issues, medical common sense, but also legal issue as well. I mean, I talked to these doctors about it and despite the fact that they're hearing that their comrades, the four U.S. soldiers are being executed, they're operating on this Iraqi, what they call the EPW, enemy prisoner of war.
And they didn't hesitate. They kept saying medical triage, not political triage. We make our decisions based on medicine, who is most likely to benefit from an operation, who's most likely to survive and who needs it most. And that's -- that's how they make their decision.
PHILLIPS: So it's whoever they think will definitely have the better chance of living.
GUPTA: That's right.
PHILLIPS: So if it's up against an Iraqi and American, they might have to go the Iraqi side.
GUPTA: That's right. And it becomes most poignant when, you know, you get down to the last supplies, like the last pint of blood. Who do you give it to if you have two patients, one coalition force member and one Iraqi? How do you make those decisions?
And I asked and I pushed them on this point and they said it's really just medical and we can't let the politics come into this.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Now, what happened this to Iraqi soldier? Did he live?
GUPTA: He lived. Yes, he was probably in his mid 40s. He had a significant gunshot would not to the abdomen and as -- as the rest of the documentary will show, there's a lot of -- there was a significant amount of bleeding, even from that small gunshot wound to the abdomen. And that's very indicative and very reflective of the sort of injuries they were seeing out there.
PHILLIPS: Sunday night, the Devil Docs. I know you've got a lot of amazing stories. I wish we could talk about this for a few hours.
GUPTA: Yes. Well, we're really excited. We're really proud of it. I think some -- some images that people aren't used to seeing on television are going to show up here on Sunday night.
PHILLIPS: Well, we are incredibly proud of you, Sanjay Gupta.
GUPTA: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Thank you so much. All right.
Well, don't forget, you can see the entire program about the Devil Docs, like we said, this Sunday, 8 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
