KTIV Channel 4 of Sioux City reports:
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KTIV) - A Sioux City doctor is answering the call for relief in Haiti. Rick Colwell leaves for a six day mission to the earthquake ravaged region on Sunday.
The trip will mark Colwell's third humanitarian effort overseas. He went to Gaza in 2009. He also visited Pakistan in 2005 after an earthquake struck that region.
Colwell is the only mid-west member of the Islamic Medical Assistants of North America, a group comprised of E-R docs like himself, as well as an anesthesiologist and even a plastic surgeon.
He's traveling to Haiti to help more than just the emergency needs of earthquake victims.
"In a country as poor as Haiti, you have a lot of chronic illness. Those people are still sick, the ones that lived, they're still sick. They have no where to go," he explains.
Colwell says getting to Haiti is a "logistical nightmare" for groups like his. It's important for them to be set-up ahead of time so they don't become part of the problem when they arrive.
Luckily, humanitarian groups are closely connected and they were able to find a permanent relief camp in Haiti that will allow them set-up their own base.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
AMMG Called On Again to Aid Haiti
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Completing Successful Humanitarian Mission to Gaza: AMMG Called On Again to Aid Earthquake Victims in Haiti
Washington DC (Jan 5, 2010) – Completing a successful mission to Gaza last year to medically assist with the humanitarian crisis left by war in the region - American Medical Mission to Gaza (AMMG) is once again deploying physicians to aid humanitarian efforts - this time to the island nation of Haiti after recent earthquake devastated the country.
“We are learning that the type of injuries that Haitians have sustained are not different from those that of the Gazans received from the military assault last year.” Commented Ismail Mehr, Anesthesiologist from Hornell, New York who is also leading the mission.
“A lot of the cases we have heard about - crushed limbs that require amputation, infections that need treatment and other medical necessities are all specific type of medical services that we provided in Gaza last year because of the air-strikes.”AMMG has assembled a group of physicians - providing medical resources in the form of care, assistance and advocacy to help those in needs. The group has been deployed to several nations including Pakistan, Indonesia and recently to the war torn region of Gaza.
Multiple AMMG physicians have already been deployed to Haiti, having arrived on January 17th and including Dr.Irfan Galaria.
Physicians will be rotated every ten days in groups - with the second team being lead by Dr. Ismail Mehr departing on January 24th.
AMMG is collaborating with Islamic Medical Association of North American (IMANA) and consolidating resources to fully maximizing humanitarian efforts.
“We have experience working under difficult circumstances and are very familiar with the type of injuries reported and feel we can contribute substantively to the humanitarians efforts on the ground in Haiti. Its not only our obligation as Muslims - but our duty as fellow human beings."
You can follow Dr. Ismail Mehr and the rest of the AMMG team on their mission at: http://ammgaza.blogspot.com/
Help contribute to the humanitarian efforts: http://www.imana.org/
More Information about IMANA at: http://www.imana.org/
Completing Successful Humanitarian Mission to Gaza: AMMG Called On Again to Aid Earthquake Victims in Haiti
Washington DC (Jan 5, 2010) – Completing a successful mission to Gaza last year to medically assist with the humanitarian crisis left by war in the region - American Medical Mission to Gaza (AMMG) is once again deploying physicians to aid humanitarian efforts - this time to the island nation of Haiti after recent earthquake devastated the country.
“We are learning that the type of injuries that Haitians have sustained are not different from those that of the Gazans received from the military assault last year.” Commented Ismail Mehr, Anesthesiologist from Hornell, New York who is also leading the mission.
“A lot of the cases we have heard about - crushed limbs that require amputation, infections that need treatment and other medical necessities are all specific type of medical services that we provided in Gaza last year because of the air-strikes.”AMMG has assembled a group of physicians - providing medical resources in the form of care, assistance and advocacy to help those in needs. The group has been deployed to several nations including Pakistan, Indonesia and recently to the war torn region of Gaza.
Multiple AMMG physicians have already been deployed to Haiti, having arrived on January 17th and including Dr.Irfan Galaria.
Physicians will be rotated every ten days in groups - with the second team being lead by Dr. Ismail Mehr departing on January 24th.
AMMG is collaborating with Islamic Medical Association of North American (IMANA) and consolidating resources to fully maximizing humanitarian efforts.
“We have experience working under difficult circumstances and are very familiar with the type of injuries reported and feel we can contribute substantively to the humanitarians efforts on the ground in Haiti. Its not only our obligation as Muslims - but our duty as fellow human beings."
You can follow Dr. Ismail Mehr and the rest of the AMMG team on their mission at: http://ammgaza.blogspot.com/
Help contribute to the humanitarian efforts: http://www.imana.org/
More Information about IMANA at: http://www.imana.org/
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