6 April 2025
Dr Swee Ang, FRCS, was born in Penang, Malaysia. She grew up and studied in Singapore. In 1973 she obtained her medical degree and in 1976 her master’s in occupational medicine at the University of Singapore. She was silver medallist for her undergrad, and gold medallist for her master’s. She joined her husband in exile in London in 1977, and became a refugee herself. She completed her orthopaedic surgical training in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in Northeast England and is the first female orthopaedic consultant appointed to the St Bartholomew and the Royal London Hospitals.
In the eighties and early nineties, she took time out to work as trauma and orthopaedics consultant in the Gaza hospital in Lebanon and was a witness to the Israeli-facilitated massacre in the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila and later worked for the United Nations in Gaza and World Health Organisation in the West Bank. She also treated the victims of the Pakistan (Kashmir) earthquake, and as consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon operated on and looked after the victims of the 7 July 2005 suicide bomb victims in the Royal London Hospital.
Dr Ang, with her husband and some friends, co-founded the British charity Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), and is co-author of War Surgery and also of Acute Care of the War Wounded, in addition to other orthopaedic publications, also wrote From Beirut to Jerusalem documenting her experience in the Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon and Gaza. Dr Ang told her personal story on Making a small difference | Ang Swee Chai | TEDxUCLWomen.
All of this is to say that Dr Swee Ang is one of the most outstanding medical specialists and indeed one of the most remarkable humanitarians alive today. Yet, because of her commitment to the welfare of Palestinians, she has been targeted unceasingly for attack by Zionists, and once again the BMA, which has said not a word about the human catastrophe in Gaza, evidently yielded to Zionist pressure by cancelling a long-scheduled talk by her to medical students in London. Not willing to be silenced, Dr Swee Ang delivered a version of her talk on the steps of the BMA headquarters in central London before a large crowd of supporters and sympathisers. Here is a report on the BMA’s latest abasement from The New Arab.
British Medical Association accused of silencing pro-Palestine voice after cancelling talk by veteran NHS doctor
The cancellation of a British Medical Association talk featuring Dr. Swee Ang, founder of Medical Aid for Palestinians, has sparked outrage among activists.
06 April, 2025
The British Medical Association (BMA) has cancelled a scheduled talk by Dr. Swee Ang, the founder of UK charity Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), sparking widespread criticism over the perceived silencing of pro-Palestinian voices.
Dr. Ang was due to address the BMA’s Medical Students Conference at its London headquarters on Friday, where she was set to meet with the trade union’s student chapter. However, according to activist groups, the BMA withdrew the invitation, stating that the meeting’s agenda had been completed and there was no longer time for her to speak.
The decision prompted protests outside the BMA building on Friday, where supporters and pro-Palestine demonstrators gathered to demand Dr. Ang be reinstated as a guest speaker.
“Medical students are going to be the custodians of health. You must defend the right to health of everyone in the world,” Dr. Ang told the crowd, as quoted by the Workers Revolutionary Party.
“I can’t understand why the BMA stopped students from hearing me. We want them to know how to cope with working on the front line of the health service,” she said.
Ang, a veteran NHS orthopaedic surgeon, is known for her pro-Palestinian advocacy. Speaking outside the BMA, she expressed her determination to continue raising awareness, particularly amid Israel’s nearly two-year assault on Gaza
“I wake up every morning crying for Palestine. How much more must Gaza take? I will defend them by speaking up for them. They cannot stop me. I cannot speak in the lecture hall, but I am speaking here,” she added.
She also encouraged young medical activists to “show courage” and use their platforms to advocate for Palestine.
The cancellation drew condemnation from rights groups and medical professionals. The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “We stand with health workers who are being silenced for speaking up against a genocide they have witnessed first-hand.”
Palestinian-British surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta, a survivor of the Gaza war, also criticised the BMA’s decision. “The British Medical Association has sunk to new depths of moral cowardice and genocide enablement,” he posted.
“It cancelled a talk by Dr. Swee Chai Ang at its annual Medical Students Conference. God forbid they become inspired to spend their career in the service of humanity as opposed to serving power,” he added.
NHS consultant Nizar Ali Mhani also voiced support for Dr. Ang, stating on X: “Her voice must be heard.” He recalled receiving BMA support when facing complaints over his own pro-Palestinian stance, adding, “For that I’m grateful.”
The BMA has yet to issue a public statement in response to the backlash.
Dr. Ang is a survivor of the 1982 Sabra-Shatila massacre during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, an event that led her to found MAP. She has since spent over four decades working as an NHS doctor and remains active in supporting healthcare in Palestinian territories.
MAP has been one of the few international organisations operating in northern Gaza throughout the ongoing war, with local teams providing critical medical and humanitarian assistance.
The organisation has consistently reported on attacks against Palestinian healthcare infrastructure by Israeli forces.
