An Australian traveler, caught in the turmoil of the Middle East, is growing increasingly anxious as she faces the possibility of running out of crucial heart medication. This concern arises amidst intensifying missile exchanges between Israel, the US, and Iran.
Trina Hockley had planned a brief stopover in Doha, Qatar, as she journeyed back home from a holiday in Norway and Finland. Her itinerary took an unexpected turn when she landed at Doha International Airport on Friday night. Just as she prepared to board her flight to Australia, the region’s airspace was suddenly closed due to escalating conflict.
Stranded and concerned, the Gold Coast resident finds herself with a dwindling supply of the medication essential for her health. The past few days have been a frantic search for alternatives, but so far, she has found no viable solution.
“The actual medication I’m on doesn’t exist in Qatar,” Ms. Hockley explained during an interview with Sunrise. Her uncertainty is palpable as she expressed, “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. I’ve sent a message to my heart specialist to see if there’s anything I can take.”
‘The actual medication I’m on doesn’t exist in Qatar,’ Ms Hockley told Sunrise.
‘I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. I’ve sent a message to my heart specialist to see if there’s anything I can take.’
Ms Hockley is among 115,000 Australians stranded in the Middle East, according to the Albanese government.
She arrived to find Doha ‘abandoned’.
Gold Coast woman Trina Hockley (pictured) is stranded in Doha, unsure of when she will finally arrive home
Hundreds of flights to the Middle East have been cancelled in recent days
Airspace across the Middle East were abruptly shut down as the conflict quickly unfolded. Pictured are plumes of smoke seen at Dubai International Airport
‘There were lineups for hours and hours to try and get accommodation, line-ups for hours to get on a bus to accommodation,’ she said.
‘We got to the accommodation, hours to line up to get registered into the hotel. Absolutely no information from anybody since we’ve been dumped off the buses.’
Ms Hockley has travel insurance but is unsure if it covers war-related disruptions.
Adding to the stress is that she is still waiting for direct updates and consulate assistance, despite registering on the Australian government portal.
‘There has been nothing from the airlines, nothing from the government, just absolutely no information whatsoever,’ Ms Hockley said.
‘Everyone’s on their own.’
Ms Hockley had spent hours at the airport queuing for emergency accommodation when explosions rocked the city, terrifying fellow travellers.
‘At that stage, you could hear the missiles; news was coming through that Dubai and Kuwait airports had been hit and I just said, “I want to leave this airport, we need to get out”,’ she told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Trina fears that she will run out of lifesaving heart medication within days
Travellers have also been stranded at Sydney Airport due to the cancellation of flights via the Middle East
‘It was like a really loud firework, it was just this bang, and at one stage all the staff were looking up at the ceiling.’
Ms Hockley remains in good spirits, despite the worrying ordeal.
The Australian government says it is monitoring the situation as it works through a range of contingencies.
‘There are lots of travellers who have been disrupted by virtue of this,’ Defence Minister Richard Marles told Sunrise on Tuesday.
‘On any given day, about 11,000 Australians will travel through Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha, so that gives you a sense of the number of Australians who will be caught up in this and our focus is very much on them.’
‘What can be done in terms of getting people home is clearly restricted so long as airspace is closed.
‘There are some media reports of airspace opening up a little bit, which is good news, but that’s really what we are focusing on right now.’
