Coptic doctor lives out faith through profession
Egyptian Christian Mina Youssef is a highly-qualified Breast Surgeon at Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital (NNUH). He is Coptic Orthodox and he and his wife Charlotte worship at St Athanasius Church in Easton.
In 2008, following seven years extensive training at Cairo University, Mina relocated to the UK to qualify under the British system. With British citizenship, he has been working here ever since. Norfolk life began as a Locum Consultant in Kings Lynn, but he soon had a permanent role at NHUH.
Mina and his wife (Christian portrait artist Charlotte Ashenden) greatly enjoy living in Norwich, a city with so much interest, culture and variety. He finds the British people to be some of the friendliest he has experienced. Mina says, ”I feel that God put me in this place. As a Coptic Christian in the UK, I feel so fortunate. This is one of most welcoming societies I could ever exist in.” Mina has found a genuine interest from people wanting to know, not just him personally, but also about his Middle-Eastern culture.
Mina is Coptic (meaning 'Egyptian') Orthodox, a branch of Orthodoxy that began 2,000 years ago when apostle St Mark brought the Gospel to a shoe-maker in northern Egypt! Since then, the Liturgy (their term for the Sunday service) has changed little. It is similar to the better-known Greek Orthodoxy with its symbolism, iconography and chanted, scriptural hymns. The wording is in English, Arabic and Coptic, each shown on a screen at the front. Interestingly, the Coptic language - now only used within the liturgies - is directly descended from that of the pharaohs and based on the Greek alphabet. Mina and Charlotte worship at St Athanasius Church in Easton, where Mina serves as a deacon.
Mina is an unusual man's name here, but in Egypt it's more commonplace as Christian boys are often named after St Mina, a much-loved saint. Christianity is a minority religion in Egypt, and life is not always easy in a country where followers of Christ are persecuted. In 2015, in Libya, twenty-one young Copts were publicly killed by ISIS and footage was shown around the world. Mina says that Copts are defiant and brave. They celebrate their faith and persevere with good humour despite the many challenges.
Even in the UK, it is not always possible to be open about faith in professional settings, but Mina is a part of the Christian Medical Fellowship group (CMF) in Norfolk, its members offering each other welcome spiritual support.
Mina feels his work as a cancer surgeon is a vocation. He says “Being a doctor gives me a great opportunity to live a lot of Christian values, such as empathy, compassion and looking after vulnerable people. As a doctor you practice these every hour of every day. Whenever I’m with someone in clinic, all my focus is there.”
Last summer Mina fulfilled a long-held dream: volunteering as General Surgeon for the medical charity Mercy Ships on a mission to Senegal. He was excited to find himself on their newest vessel, the vast Global Mercy. Mina has already signed up to join them in 2024.
In addition to his role at the NNUH, Mina also lectures at UEA Medical School and has a private practice at The Spire Hospital in Norwich.
https://www.doctify.com/uk/specialist/mina-youssef
https://www.spirehealthcare.com/consultant-profiles/mr-mina-youssef-c7029904/
Pictured above: Mina and Charlotte