The first time Dr. Steven Hatch suited up in protective gear at an Ebola treatment center, he was confronted with the weight of his decision to volunteer here. A patient, sweating and heavily soiled, had collapsed in a corridor. \u201cLiterally every surface of his body was covered in billions of particles of Ebola,\u201d\u009d he recalled.<\/p>\n
The physician introducing him to the routine, Dr. Pranav Shetty, said they needed to get the man back to bed, so they picked him up. Dr. Shetty focused on calming the patient, who would not live through the night. He diluted a Valium tablet in water, and cut some intravenous tubing into a crude straw for him to sip.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a beautiful moment because I was like, he\u2019s a doctor, he was taking care of his patients,\u201d\u009d said Dr. Hatch, an American volunteer. \u201cThat\u2019s what we do here.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n