Doctors Fighting Frontiers: British Medics Imprisoned in Sri Lanka, on Hunger Strike in Egypt

The wars may have ostensibly ended in Gaza and Sri Lanka, but the conflicts and hardships continue. As hundreds of thousands of residents languish in detention camps or endure a protracted siege, British medics trying to help also find themselves hindered --- and worse --- by Government officials.

In Sri Lanka, 26-year-old Damilvany Gnanakumar (pictured) is still held in an internment camp with civilians who have been told they cannot leave until the Government has "screened" for those who might be members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTEE). The British Foreign Office says it has been in contact with Sri Lankan Government, but Gnanakumar's family, dissatisfied at the lack of progress, decided to publicise the case, working with journalists from The Guardian of London.

On Tuesday, the brother of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa promised to speed up the legal process for Gnanakumar's release. Officials said they were "currently checking on Ms Gnanakumar's visa status and on how she had entered the country". Meanwhile, assurances were given by Piency Charles, in charge of the camps, that Gnanakumar was in good health.

In Egypt, three other British medics have been amongst nine people on hunger strike, protesting official barriers to their entry into Gaza. The trio had hoped to establish a cardiac surgery unit at Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, and to train medical students and junior doctors there. However, they have been held at the Rafah crossing since the beginning of May.

One of the three medics, Omar Mangoush, explained the decision to protest:

This is very important for us. There are loads of people with heart disease [in Gaza]. They can't get here [to Egypt], they can't get to Israel. If it's this hard for us to get to, how difficult is it for the Palestinians to get out?