15 September 2017
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) has just received the very sad news that Lady Dr Patience Moberly has died. She is going to be missed by so many people.
For us at MAP, she will never be forgotten. I remember so well when she agreed to be our Trustee and then assumed the responsibility of being the Chairwoman of our Medical Programmes in the early nineties. Within a few months the Programmes changed radically under her leadership when she consistently emphasized sustainability and pioneered the importance of training. MAP did not have limitless resources and whatever we give to the Palestinians was raised from the British public, and therefore we had to be effective in what we do for the Palestinians was her advice.
Patience taught us and especially me, that though it is important to contribute to emergency relief, equipment, supporting the building of clinics, the most important investment must be made in people. Training doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, midwives and health workers is something that will stay with our beneficiaries as they will in turn train their own people and develop quality medical services. Under her leadership MAP embarked on training Palestinian GPs, paediatric doctors, midwives, specialist nurses and many other health workers. This was very demanding. Patience herself was a Specialist Paediatric doctor and was well connected with the various specialist Royal Colleges in Britain. She used her influence to persuade and encourage many colleagues – some very eminent – to come on board to teach and examine Palestinians in the very deprived Gaza and the refugee camps of Lebanon. With her help many of MAP’s training programmes were also endorsed by various Royal Colleges in UK.
She was completely tireless and self-less in her efforts. She was also very firm and principled and therefore every project she headed had to be financially “clean”, carried out in the most cost-effective manner, and properly audited. The General Practitioners training programme in Gaza was held out by our Palestinian partners at that time to be their flagship project. To stop me from being distracted and rushing off to do all sorts of side issues her advice had always been “You must not just fall for sticky plaster solutions just because they are easy to do. You have to work at making a lasting difference – treat and train. If you just treat the disease, it is only half the job. If you also train you are able to help them to treat their people long after you are gone”.
When MAP went through difficult times, Patience did not leave us, but brought in her beloved husband Sir John Moberley to chair our Board of Trustees to ensure that MAP remained on a sure footing. Even after Sir John departed this world Patience continued to support MAP as trustee and long after she stepped down as Trustee.
When I lost my husband, Patience held my hand and regularly wrote caring and encouraging letters to me. She called me often to encourage me. She became my counsellor, drawing from her own grief and bereavement of becoming a widow!
Dearest Patience I miss you so much. The only comfort is that you are now re-united with your dear husband, John. Please be assured that we will look after MAP and continue with the wonderful work you started. May you find rest and consolation in the arms of God.
Dr Swee Ang, Patron and Founder of MAP, 15 September 2017