Pauline Cutting: Surgery Under Siege

Available for over a year

A small Palestinian refugee camp became the scene of a harrowing siege in 1985 amidst the Lebanon war. Bourj al-Barajneh was cut off from food, water and medical supplies while surrounded by the Amal militia with its residents under constant threat from bullets and shelling. Dr Pauline Cutting was a young surgeon who travelled to Lebanon to treat the wounded but instead found herself trapped and operating by torchlight under devastating conditions. Using a radio powered by a car battery to speak to the BBC, she brought global attention to the plight they were facing. Saleyha Ahsan meets Dr Cutting in her home in North Wales to recount those six months under siege and the many lives she and her team saved. Presenter and co-producer: Saleyha Ahsan Co-producer: Jay Behrouzi Executive Producer: Richard McIlroy A BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4.