American Doctors Return to US after Gaza Mission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lombard IL (February 11, 2009) -- The physicians who returned from the 10 day humanitarian medical mission to the Gaza Strip - have resumed their daily practices. The group of eleven doctors - were the only American and Canadian physicians to travel to Gaza to provide humanitarian aid to the war-torn region.

“Going there really enlightened me and opened my eyes.” said Dr. Ismail Mehr, an anesthesiologist from Hornell New York - who led the group of specialists. “The situation was worse that we had ever imagined.” Along with Mehr, other doctors from American Medical Mission to Gaza treated patients with an assortment of injuries—burns, shrapnel wounds, and amputations.

“I was surprised and shocked to see the extent and degree of civilian casualties,” said Dr. Irfan Galaria a Salt Lake City plastic surgeon who treated several burn patients, some presumably from white phosphorus-related injuries. Galaria operated extensively on a facial injury of a 1-year old girl without the use of local anesthetic – a reoccurring problem in area desperately needing medical supplies.

“Every time I stuck her with the needle she could feel it.”

In a case that received international attention, Texas urologist Saeed Akhtar and Mehr removed a watermelon-sized tumor from the kidney of Abdullah Shawwa – a four year child. The tumor was attributed to untreated chronic disease that many in Gaza Strip are afflicted with because of the embargo posed on the region. Furthermore, Mehr noted “Due to travel restrictions and the embargo, kids like Shawwa may not be able to receive appropriate follow-up care due to lack of medical expertise and equipment.”

Dr. Rick Colwell, an emergency room doctor from Sioux City, Iowa who was part of the mission said, “Something has to be done about this embargo...it’s inhumane.”

“We were the only Americans to go to Gaza and we will probably be the only ones to go as far as a relief team that is strictly defined under the charter of an American charitable organization,” Mehr said. With the announcement that Egypt will reseal the Rafah border crossing with Gaza and Israel continuing its embargo on the region – Mehr and his team might be the last group of American physicians to provide any humanitarian aid to a area inflicted with high number of causalities and fatalities due to Israeli strikes and poor medical resources.

The team of volunteers also included Dr. Imran Qureshi, a radiologist from Naperville, Illionis, Dr. Kanwal Shazia Chaudhry a pediatric and emergency room specialist from New York City, Dr. Labiq Syed, a research fellow at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Labib Syed an interventional radiologist from Baltimore, and Dr. Shariq Sayeed a vascular surgeon from Atlanta. Ahmed Kasem, an attorney with the California firm, Kasem, Ko & Ahmed assisted the team with logistics.