Ornaments of Grace – Dr. Mohamed Mashally

Then the moonlight will be bright as sunlight and sunlight itself be seven times brighter – like the light of seven days in one – on the day the Lord dresses his people’s wounds and heals the scars of the blows they have received. Isaiah 30:26
 

 
Egypt’s “Doctor of the Poor,” Mohamed Mashally, died in July, 2020. As the Lord God dressed his people’s wounds and healed the scars of the blows they had received, so this good doctor cared for the poor of his people. At times he charged his patients a few cents, but the destitute received both the healthcare and the medicine they needed at no cost.

Dr. Mashally grew up in a poor family and struggled to get his own education as well as to educate his children and his brother’s children. Despite these hardships or maybe because of them, he gave his life to the poor. His father, on his deathbed, told Mohamed to care for the poor – especially the sick poor.

Another learning situation occurred when he first started working: “A little diabetic child came to me crying from pain and telling his mother to inject him with insulin,” he said. “The mother replied to the child, saying that if she buys the insulin, she would have no money to buy food for his siblings. I still remember that harsh situation, which made me decide to devote my knowledge to treating the poor.”

His life experiences touched him so deeply that when he graduated from medical school in 1967, he vowed to give the poor the medical care they needed even if they could not pay for it. And that is what he did.

Specializing in epidemiology, internal medicine, and pediatrics, Dr. Mashally had the tools to dress his people’s wounds and heal them in many ways. Every day he arrived at the clinic by 7:30 a.m., worked until the sunset prayer, and then ate supper. After supper, he visited two other clinics in villages nearby to check on patients. His assistant said he was always working hard with a smile on his face. Even as Mohamed suffered ill health during the last year of his life, he continued caring for the needy.

The good doctor’s work gained national attention, and he was featured in news articles and on television. Many were eager to hear about his experiences, what he thought, and what he believed. Still, when people wanted to give him large donations, he asked them instead to give the money to the poor and needy.

His one wish was to continue serving people until he died, and God granted him this wish. Such a life seems seven times brighter than most. Thousands, who otherwise might have suffered in darkness, came to pay their respects when he died, thankful for the light and care he shared.

Dr. Mohamed Mashally is our seventh Ornament of Grace.