Ang Swee Chai

Ang Swee Chai (Chinese: 洪瑞钗) is an orthopedic surgeon and author. She is a co-founder of the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians.

Ang Swee Chai
Ang Swee Chai in the refugee camp in Beirut in 1985.
Born	1948 (age 76–77)[1] Colony of Penang
Citizenship	British[2]

Life

Ang was born in Penang, Malaysia but raised in Singapore. She attended Kwong Avenue Primary School, Raffles Girls' School, and the National University of Singapore where she studied medicine. She then received a master's degree in Occupational Medicine in 1976.^[1]

In 1977, Ang married Singaporean human rights lawyer Francis Khoo. Two weeks after the marriage, she was briefly detained during a government crackdown on dissidents as the authority attempted to arrest her husband. She fled to London to be with her husband and they were granted asylum there.^[3] She trained to be an orthopaedic surgeon in Britain, where she obtained her FRCS (Eng) and completed her training in Newcastle. She later became the first female consultant orthopaedic surgeon at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London.^[1]

In August 1982, Ang responded to an appeal for medical personnel from Christian Aid to treat war casualties in Lebanon and went to work at the Gaza Hospital near the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp in Beirut.^[4][5] The following month, she became witness to the Sabra-Shatila massacre during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.^[6] She and two other hospital staff testified to Israeli Kahan Commission on the Sabra and Shatila massacre in September 1982.^[7] Ang would also testify to the massacre in front of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission in 2013, during a hearing that eventually found the State of Israel guilty of genocide.^[8]

In 1988, Ang made her first trip to Gaza, where she worked as an orthopaedic surgeon at the Al Ahli Arab Hospital. During her time there, she also served as an ambulance driver amid ongoing conflict.^[9][10]

With her husband, Francis Khoo, and some friends, Ang helped to form the British charity, Medical Aid for Palestinians, following the 1982 massacres.^[5]

Awards and honours

In 1987, President Yasser Arafat awarded Ang the Star of Palestine, the highest award for service to the Palestinian people.^[11]

In 2016, Ang was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame.^[12] However, she could not receive the award in person in Singapore as she retained her British citizenship and refused to give up either British or Singaporean citizenships.^[13] Singapore does not allow dual citizenship. In November 2020, Ang was officially stripped of her Singaporean citizenship after a commission of inquiry.^[14]

Humanitarian missions

Since co-founding Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) in 1982, Ang has led numerous medical missions to conflict zones, particularly in Lebanon and Gaza. Her humanitarian work spans over four decades, during which she has provided surgical care to victims of war and displacement.

In 2024, Ang returned to Lebanon to treat patients injured by what she described as "pager attacks" linked to Israeli operations. These explosive devices caused extensive trauma, including mutilated limbs, facial injuries, and brain damage. Reflecting on the spirit of her patients, she described a conversation with a man who had lost his hand but expressed no regret, saying it was the price he paid "for standing with humanity and justice in Gaza."^[15]

As of 2025, Ang has worked nearly 50 years in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), and over 43 years in support of the Palestinian people through direct medical care, advocacy, and education.^[16]

Talks and public engagements

Ang has spoken publicly on numerous occasions about her experiences in war zones, the responsibilities of medical professionals in conflict, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine. Her talks emphasize the power of compassion, justice, and small acts of resistance in the face of large-scale suffering.

On 6 December 2013, she delivered a TEDx talk at University College London (UCL), titled Making a Small Difference, during UCL’s first-ever TEDxWomen event. In the talk, she drew from her work in hospitals and conflict zones, particularly Palestine and Lebanon, to illustrate how seemingly small actions can have a profound impact on people’s lives. The talk received a standing ovation and was described as “refreshingly honest and incredibly moving.”^[17]

She has also participated in other speaking engagements, interviews, and humanitarian forums to raise awareness about medical ethics, refugee crises, and the Palestinian struggle.

Controversies

On 24 September 2014, The Telegraph reported that Ang had forwarded a video entitled “CNN Goldman Sachs & the Zio Matrix” featuring Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.^[18] Ang responded by saying “I am concerned that if there is any truth in the video, that Jews control the media, politics and banking, what on earth is going on? I was worried.” ^[19]

Publications

Ang wrote a book on her experience, From Beirut to Jerusalem: A Woman Surgeon with the Palestinians.^[20] The book has been translated into Chinese.^[4] She also co-authored War Surgery: Field Manual with Hans Husum and Erik Fosse.^[21]