Medical Coordinator Dr. Ahmed Shafter is a dedicated physician who is now also serving as Acting Country Director of the Libya mission he joined nearly 10 years ago—but despite his dual roles, he is never too busy for the patients who inspire his work every day.
Ahmed joined International Medical Corps in 2017 as a medical doctor in a detention center for migrants who were detained by government authorities before they attempted a dangerous trip across the Mediterranean Sea. He had worked as an emergency doctor since graduating in 2009, and thought that working in emergency response would be a similar experience. However, he quickly discovered how different humanitarian work could be.
“With emergency medicine, you stay in one place to receive the cases. With humanitarian response, you go to where the needs are,” he explains. “I believe this is a great approach—reaching out to people in need instead of staying in one place.”
His career has repeatedly borne out the principle of seeking out those who are most in need and then meeting them where they are. While serving in the detention center, Ahmed often worked night shifts. In the early hours of the morning, he would walk near the detention cells, listening for signs of distress. On several occasions, he heard people shouting for help and ran to the guards to ask them to open the doors so that he could provide treatment and transfer the detainees to the emergency hospital—giving them the critical lifesaving care they needed when they needed it.
“I like this type of commitment,” Ahmed says.
In addition to our work providing medical services in detention centers, International Medical Corps was one of the organizations providing care to refugees whom the Libyan Coast Guard rescued at sea. Many of these migrants are on the water for days at a time—when boats sink or flounder, those who are rescued are often suffering from severe dehydration, or worse. After one especially dire rescue in 2018, the Coast Guard called International Medical Corps staff at 4 a.m., requesting our assistance. Ahmed and a small team deployed to the boat, where the people onboard were so weak that they couldn’t even stand up. Ahmed went inside of the boat and spent more than two hours conducting lifesaving emergency procedures—eventually stabilizing about 15 people.
“I saw the appreciation of those who were receiving the fluids, receiving the care,” he recalls. “This was, honestly, very emotional for me.”
He also remembers our response to the catastrophic flooding caused by dam collapses in Derna in 2023.
“We were one of the first organizations to enter Derna city—the floodwaters were still running through the streets,” Ahmed says. “I was very proud that what we were doing was the right thing. A rapid deployment is honestly what matters in such a crisis.”
Looking at the Big Picture
Ahmed has received more responsibility during his time at International Medical Corps and is now our Acting Country Director in Libya—in addition to his full-time role as Medical Coordinator.
In his early days at International Medical Corps, when one of his supervisors moved him from community work into management, he learned how to manage projects and people. As Medical Coordinator, he supervises a team of healthcare providers and is responsible for health service implementation, in addition to helping write grant proposals and driving the strategy of the mission. With so much experience under his belt—and because he had worked closely with and covered for former Country Director Talal Burnaz during his annual leave—Ahmed was appointed acting country director after Talal left for our South Sudan mission.
“At the beginning, I was a bit afraid,” Ahmed says. “It’s a big responsibility.”
But it’s teaching him to think in different ways.
“As Medical Coordinator, I usually focus more on the technical side. When I see a proposal, I immediately think about how we can implement it, what the challenges will be, how we can ensure success in this type of activity,” he says. “As Country Director, I have to do more strategic thinking, so I’m trying to see the big picture instead of focusing on details in the beginning.”
Though Ahmed works in more administrative roles today, his heart remains in patient care. “It’s the best feeling when you are able to urgently respond to people in need,” he says.