Supporting Those in Need: The Impact of Nurse 'Fish' on Refugee Communities

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Coping with emergencies can be stressful for any medical worker. But nurse Fissaha Gobena can be relied on to stay calm under pressure.

Fissaha, known to friends and family as ‘Fish’, works on the frontline at a major Melbourne hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).

“It is very challenging because all the patients coming to ICU are critically sick,” Fish said.

“So, we need to make sure they get the appropriate treatment for the best outcomes.”

Adrienne Pendrey, ICU nurse manager at Monash Medical Centre, said: “I have worked with Fish for 17 years, and when things are particularly hard, he is front and centre.”

“He is supportive to patients and colleagues in challenging situations. And if we need to troubleshoot a difficult procedure, we know that we can rely on Fish given his background and experience of working in adverse conditions,” she said.

‘You watch and you cry’

As a young man, Fish trained as a nurse in his homeland, Ethiopia.

Soon after graduating, he was sent to work under harsh conditions in a remote area in western Ethiopia. The bush clinic was busy, but its resources were limited.

A group of nurses stand around a young boy in a clinic.

Fish Gobena taught medical colleagues at a remote clinic in Ethiopia. Source: Supplied / Fish Gobena

“There was very little medical equipment or supplies. So, we had to do what we could to save lives,” Fish recalled.

“There were a lot of infectious diseases, like malaria, typhoid and other fevers. We also treated liver failure but the main issue we handled was childbirth complications.

“Obstruction of a labour was common but the equipment was old and rusty, enough to cause infections. And we did not have the facilities to sterilise forceps or vacuums.”

It was a tough start for the young nurse, and the inevitable loss of life hurt him deeply.

“You watch and you cry, and there is nothing you can do,” he said.

“And you do get traumatised, but you have to carry on. I did not even know there was a different way until I arrived in Australia and saw the health system here.”

A young boy pushing an airport trolley is surrounded by people.

Fish Gobena (centre) arriving in Australia and welcomed by relatives. Source: Supplied / Fish Gobena

Fish landed in Melbourne in 2000 and later completed postgraduate studies in critical care nursing.

Since 2005, he has worked in intensive care at Monash Medical Centre, initially as an ICU clinical nurse specialist. He became an associate nurse unit manager 11 years ago.

The ability to stay calm under pressure is vital and that is where Fish excels, according to his manager.

“He is calm, stable, and provides really strong leadership and able to direct clearly what needs to happen next while making sure that the patient and the family receive that compassionate and empathetic care as well,” Pendrey said.

A man in a blue uniform stands holding a clip board next to a woman in a blue uniform.

Fish Gobena’s manager, Adrienne Pendrey (right), says Fish stays calm in stressful situations. Source: SBS / Sandra Fulloon

‘I could have been killed’

Fish, who identifies as Oromo, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, mentors many refugees from his community, as well as other new arrivals in Melbourne.

However, he remains fearful for his community still in Ethiopia.

Oromia has a long history of armed violence and social inequality. Human Rights Watch has reported that ongoing fighting between insurgent and government forces has resulted in “serious abuses against Oromo and minority communities” in the state.

“It never stops, until today and things are getting worse, to the point kids are getting slaughtered,” he said.

“Regardless of whether you are involved in politics or not, being Oromo, you are targeted because the rebels are around the area, and so [government forces] suspect Oromos of politics and links with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF),” Fish said.

OLF wants self-determination for the Oromo people and greater language and cultural rights.

Fish is among hundreds of thousands of people displaced by violence in Oromia. He also fled to avoid conscription into the military.

“Due to my profession at the end of 1998, I was being forced to join the army as a nurse to help wounded soldiers,” he said.

A young man in a light blue T-shirt stands in front of metal gates on a dirt path.

Fish Gobena in Nairobi, Kenya after fleeing Ethiopia. Source: Supplied / Fish Gobena

A refusal to join the military attracted harsh penalties.

“I could have been killed, or maybe to the minimum, I could have died in jail,” he said.

“So, I fled to Nairobi and sought protection from the UNHCR [United Nations refugee agency].

“Later, I applied for a third country, and since my uncle was living in Australia, he sponsored me and that made it easier for me to travel to Australia.”

A man in a white satin vest hugs a woman standing next to a bride and an older man.

Fish Gobena (centre right) on his wedding day with his wife Sarah (centre) and his mother and father. Source: Supplied / Fish Gobena

‘Living in Australia is heaven on Earth’

Fish is proud of the new life he has built in Melbourne. He is married to Sarah, a Monash Medical Centre colleague, and they have two children.

“Living in Australia is heaven on Earth. There is freedom of speech and you are protected everywhere you go, so you feel safe day and night,” he said.

Ethiopia’s federal government has previously defended its human rights record. However, the country remains scarred by conflict.

A man in a white shirt and cap crouches beside two children and a dog while a woman leans forward.

Fish Gobena with his family in Melbourne. Source: Supplied / Fish Gobena

“There are a growing number of refugees fleeing Oromia to neighbouring countries and many have no hope,” Fish said.

“They leave Ethiopia, but they don’t know where to go and some are dying from disease or malnutrition.”

Among the most common emergencies in Melbourne this summer are admissions for respiratory conditions such as chronic pulmonary disease caused by smoking or weather changes, which can lead to thunderstorm asthma.

Fish’s brand of care and concern makes him a valued asset in critical care, according to his manager.