Overview

A profound exploration of emergency medicine practiced at the most remote and challenging frontiers of East Africa. This inspiring memoir finds hope and meaning in the face of extraordinary odds as a young physician asks: What are the ethical and moral dimensions of saving one life knowing countless others will die? In 2008, a young doctor set out for Kenya to volunteer with the famed AMREF East African Flying Doctors Service. An emergency physician looking to make a difference, Marc-David Munk flew dozens of missions as a flight surgeon to eleven East African countries, including war-torn Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. From his unarmed air ambulance, Munk and his team treated patients suffering with severe trauma, possible Ebola hemorrhagic fever, elephantiasis, malaria, and gunshot wounds. The crew dodged corrupt officials; landed their planes on unlit grass strips, after first scaring away livestock; were threatened by al-Shabaab jihadis, navigated war zones; and clandestinely treated a U.S military serviceman. They also experienced some of the most beautiful parts of Africa and met the incredible people who live there. The tight-knit crew was passionate about saving lives despite the risks inherent in flights across war zones. In Urgent Calls from Distant Places, the missions described are real and compelling. Readers will meet sick NGO workers in Somalia, malnourished Ugandan soldiers, suicidal teenagers, violent cow rustlers, American special forces, albino children murdered for their body parts, and even 19th-century explorers David Livingstone and Henry Stanley. Each chapter details the medical challenges of the mission but also explores the greater philosophical questions raised by treating patients in East Africa: African history, the impact of colonialism, communism, religion, terrorism, and war. Munk examines the unique histories and politics of the eleven countries he visits. Urgent Calls is the story of the doctors, nurses, and pilots who tackled complex and dangerous missions to save lives. The book also bears witness to the author's moral development as a healer and as a human. Urgent Calls takes readers to the wild beauty of East Africa and embraces the challenges of healing patients with humility, gratitude, and hope... one life at a time.

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Reviews

"""An enthralling portrait of high-wire emergency care performed under the most trying circumstances."" ""Our Verdict: Get It!"" Kirkus Reviews Prepare yourself for harrowing tales of daring landings on tree-lined dirt runways, emergency medical care rendered under the blazing African sun on patients at the verge of death, eye-opening insight into the longstanding effects of colonialism on East Africa, and one doctor's profound journey of self-discovery and what it means to humble oneself in the service of others. Marc-David Munk brings the East African Flying Doctors to life in his thrilling and insightful memoir, Urgent Calls from Distant Places. An outstanding read! I highly recommend."" Dr. Jay Wellons: author of All That Moves Us (voted one of the best books of 2022 by The New Yorker and Publishers Weekly.) ""Urgent Calls From Distance Places is not only a powerful and dramatic portrait of medical relief work in rural Africa, it's a deeply-felt and utterly accurate critique of the cruel moral failings of American healthcare as well. Munk is seeking the essential in medicine regardless of where one is in the world, and approaches his story with humility, a synthetic intelligence, wisdom, and an ultimately affirming reverence."" Dr. Frank Huyler: author of The Blood of Strangers, and White Hot Light ""[Munk's] stories of working with the AMREF East African Flying Doctors Service take the reader into a world filled with interesting characters and fascinating medical cases... discussed in a candid and empathetic way... I hope readers will take the time to delve into this excellent story of humanitarian adventure, expertly told by someone who lived it. They won't be disappointed."" Dr. Gregory H. Bledsoe, chief editor of Expedition & Wilderness Medicine ""....Munk is able to engage diverse individuals from around the world in a sophisticated fashion. Only a handful of physicians have the combination of knowledge, skills, and attitude to take on this kind of unique work and to craft the many wondrous stories in Urgent Calls. A fabulous read."" Dr. Walt Stoy. Professor Emeritus ""....a brilliant record....Munk weaves history, geography, politics, religion, and deep philosophical issues into the stories of care delivered in the most remote parts of Africa. The reader is entranced by a world engulfed in poverty, corruption, cruelty, war, coups, injury, and disease. In this complicated melting pot, the altruistic human spirit exemplified by Munk somehow thrives.... The writing style and humanity and sensitivities of the author lead to an unforgettable read. Paul M Paris MD, LLD(Hon): Professor Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh ""A moving portrait of the forces that shape health in East Africa and of the people committed to making a difference in a dynamic, changing region...."" Dr. Sandro Galea, Dean at Boston University School of Public Health"

"""An enthralling portrait of high-wire emergency care performed under the most trying circumstances."" ""Our Verdict: Get It!"" Kirkus Reviews ""an absolute home run. One of the best books I have read by a physician writer ever...Wow...just pure wowness."" Dr. Louis Profeta: author of bestselling The Patient in Room Nine Says He's God. ""Marc-David Munk brings the East African Flying Doctors to life in his thrilling and insightful memoir, Urgent Calls from Distant Places. An outstanding read! I highly recommend."" Dr. Jay Wellons: author of All That Moves Us (voted one of the best books of 2022 by The New Yorker and Publishers Weekly.) ""a deeply-felt and utterly accurate critique of the cruel moral failings of American healthcare as well. Munk is seeking the essential in medicine regardless of where one is in the world, and approaches his story with humility, a synthetic intelligence, wisdom, and an ultimately affirming reverence."" Dr. Frank Huyler: author of The Blood of Strangers, and White Hot Light ""[Munk's] stories of working with the AMREF East African Flying Doctors Service take the reader into a world filled with interesting characters and fascinating medical cases... discussed in a candid and empathetic way... I hope readers will take the time to delve into this excellent story of humanitarian adventure, expertly told by someone who lived it. They won't be disappointed."" Dr. Gregory H. Bledsoe, chief editor of Expedition & Wilderness Medicine ""....Munk is able to engage diverse individuals from around the world in a sophisticated fashion. Only a handful of physicians have the combination of knowledge, skills, and attitude to take on this kind of unique work and to craft the many wondrous stories in Urgent Calls. A fabulous read."" Dr. Walt Stoy. Professor Emeritus ""....a brilliant record....The reader is entranced by a world engulfed in poverty, corruption, cruelty, war, coups, injury, and disease. In this complicated melting pot, the altruistic human spirit exemplified by Munk somehow thrives.... The writing style and humanity and sensitivities of the author lead to an unforgettable read. Paul M Paris MD, LLD(Hon): Professor Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh ""A moving portrait of the forces that shape health in East Africa and of the people committed to making a difference in a dynamic, changing region...."" Dr. Sandro Galea, Dean at Boston University School of Public Health"

Author Information

Marc-David Munk is a Canadian/American emergency physician and healthcare executive. Over the past decade, he has held leadership roles at various nontraditional healthcare delivery organizations in the US and abroad. Munk grew up in Switzerland and Canada. He graduated from Colgate University with a BA in philosophy and religion and completed an MPH in international health from Boston University. After graduating from Philadelphia's Jefferson Medical College, he did residency training in emergency medicine, completed a clinical fellowship in international health at the University of Pittsburgh, and then completed a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene at Peru's Gorgas Program. He also holds a master's degree in health care management from Harvard University. Munk lives outside Boston with his wife and his two children. Urgent Calls from Distant Places is his first book.

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