Dr. Swee Chai Ang

Dr. Swee Chai Ang is a Malaysian-born orthopaedic surgeon, humanitarian, and author. Born in Penang in 1948 and raised in Singapore, she earned her medical degree in 1973 and a master’s in occupational medicine in 1976. In 1977, she moved to the UK with her husband, where she trained as an orthopaedic surgeon and became the first female consultant at St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London Hospitals.

In 1982, Dr. Ang responded to an appeal for medical personnel in war-torn Lebanon, where she worked at the Gaza Hospital in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp. She was a witness to the Sabra and Shatila massacre and later testified before the Israeli Kahan Commission. Her experiences are detailed in her memoir, From Beirut to Jerusalem: A Woman Surgeon with the Palestinians.

Dr. Ang is a co-founder of Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), a UK-based charity providing medical assistance to Palestinian communities. She has spent over four decades working in conflict zones, including Lebanon and Gaza, and has been involved with the United Nations and the World Health Organisation in various humanitarian capacities.