Photo courtesy of Dr. Shariq Sayeed
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
2/24/09 Coverage
Report: US to give $900M in Gaza aid
Children afraid to return to school
Rehab for amputees a long road, at Al Wafa
MSF teams provide follow up surgery
Children afraid to return to school
Rehab for amputees a long road, at Al Wafa
MSF teams provide follow up surgery
Monday, February 23, 2009
University of Chicago to Host Gaza Event
Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza: An Eyewitness Account
Thursday, February 26th
5:30 PM
Ida Noyes Cloister Club
1212 East 59th Street
Chicago 60637
*Hummus and pita from Cedars will be served.
A Panel Discussion with:
Steve Sosebee , Dr. Imran Qureshi, Dr. Ra-id Abdulla, and Dr. Scott Eggener
Steve Sosebee is the President & CEO of Palestine Children Relief Fund.
The Palestine Children's Relief Fund is a non-governmental organization that was established concerned people in the U.S. to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian youths in the Middle East. See www.pcrf.net
Dr. Imran Qureshi, a doctor at Rush-Copley Medical Center, was one 9 American doctors to go to Gaza after the December/January assault on Gaza.
Team Website
Dr. Qureshi's Personal Travelogue
Dr. Ra-id Abdulla, a doctor from Rush Hospital in Chicago, has led several missions to Palestine over the past several years as a volunteer; screening hundreds of children, many who later had life-saving surgery
Dr. Scott Eggener, a doctor and assistant professor at the University of Chicago, is an active member of IVUMed (International Volunteers in Urology). He has participated in volunteer educational and surgical missions to Cuba, Honduras, Morocco, Myanmar, Rwanda, and Palestine.
Sponsored by: Human Rights Program of the University of Chicago, Amnesty, Students for Justice in Palestine
Contact: afshan1@uchicago.edu
Thursday, February 26th
5:30 PM
Ida Noyes Cloister Club
1212 East 59th Street
Chicago 60637
*Hummus and pita from Cedars will be served.
A Panel Discussion with:
Steve Sosebee , Dr. Imran Qureshi, Dr. Ra-id Abdulla, and Dr. Scott Eggener
Steve Sosebee is the President & CEO of Palestine Children Relief Fund.
The Palestine Children's Relief Fund is a non-governmental organization that was established concerned people in the U.S. to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian youths in the Middle East. See www.pcrf.net
Dr. Imran Qureshi, a doctor at Rush-Copley Medical Center, was one 9 American doctors to go to Gaza after the December/January assault on Gaza.
Team Website
Dr. Qureshi's Personal Travelogue
Dr. Ra-id Abdulla, a doctor from Rush Hospital in Chicago, has led several missions to Palestine over the past several years as a volunteer; screening hundreds of children, many who later had life-saving surgery
Dr. Scott Eggener, a doctor and assistant professor at the University of Chicago, is an active member of IVUMed (International Volunteers in Urology). He has participated in volunteer educational and surgical missions to Cuba, Honduras, Morocco, Myanmar, Rwanda, and Palestine.
Sponsored by: Human Rights Program of the University of Chicago, Amnesty, Students for Justice in Palestine
Contact: afshan1@uchicago.edu
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Event for Gaza in Downers Grove IL
Islamic Medical Association of North America Dinner Meeting Medical Report on Gaza Health Care Catastrophe Post Ceasefire
Date: 3/4/2009
Time: 6:30 pm to 8 pm
Speakers: Dr. Muhyaldeen Dia, Associate Professor of Medicine at UIC
Dr. Imran Qureshi, Member of IMANA Medical Team to Gaza
Registration: $20/person (free for medical students. Seating limited to 50 attendees - Please RSVP before 2/25/09 to Dr. Naveed Akhtar at nnakhtar@aol.com)
Contact Info: Dr. Naveed Akhtar, President
Chicago Chapter of IMANA
T: 630-932-0000 630-915-3531
E: nnakhtar@aol.com
Ashiyana Banquets
1620 7th Street
Downers Grove, IL
This dinner will feature a medical report on the Gaza Health Care Catastrophe Post Ceasefire (IMANA had sent a team of doctors to Gaza. You can read more about Imran Qureshi's experience at AMMGaza) There will also be discussion of the latest trends in the treatment of hyperlipidemia.
Date: 3/4/2009
Time: 6:30 pm to 8 pm
Speakers: Dr. Muhyaldeen Dia, Associate Professor of Medicine at UIC
Dr. Imran Qureshi, Member of IMANA Medical Team to Gaza
Registration: $20/person (free for medical students. Seating limited to 50 attendees - Please RSVP before 2/25/09 to Dr. Naveed Akhtar at nnakhtar@aol.com)
Contact Info: Dr. Naveed Akhtar, President
Chicago Chapter of IMANA
T: 630-932-0000 630-915-3531
E: nnakhtar@aol.com
Ashiyana Banquets
1620 7th Street
Downers Grove, IL
This dinner will feature a medical report on the Gaza Health Care Catastrophe Post Ceasefire (IMANA had sent a team of doctors to Gaza. You can read more about Imran Qureshi's experience at AMMGaza) There will also be discussion of the latest trends in the treatment of hyperlipidemia.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Gaza Awareness Event in Bath NY
Bath group plans dinner, Gaza trip presentation
Staff report • February 20, 2009
The Bath Peace and Justice Group will hold a potluck dinner at 6:30 p.m. March 4, followed by a slide presentation at 7 p.m. by Dr. Ismail Mehr, in the Empire Room of the Dormann Library, 101 West Morris St. in Bath.Mehr will describe his recent humanitarian trip to Gaza in the aftermath of the Israeli attacks on that territory.
Mehr, who is an anesthesiologist at St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell, recently led a 10-day medical mission to Gaza sponsored by the Islamic Medical Association of North America.
For more information about Mehr's trip, visit the American Medical Mission to Gaza blog. The event is free and open to the public. Call (607) 569-3564 for more information.
Staff report • February 20, 2009
The Bath Peace and Justice Group will hold a potluck dinner at 6:30 p.m. March 4, followed by a slide presentation at 7 p.m. by Dr. Ismail Mehr, in the Empire Room of the Dormann Library, 101 West Morris St. in Bath.Mehr will describe his recent humanitarian trip to Gaza in the aftermath of the Israeli attacks on that territory.
Mehr, who is an anesthesiologist at St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell, recently led a 10-day medical mission to Gaza sponsored by the Islamic Medical Association of North America.
For more information about Mehr's trip, visit the American Medical Mission to Gaza blog. The event is free and open to the public. Call (607) 569-3564 for more information.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Naperville Radiologist Shocked by Conditions in Gaza
Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah of the Chicago Tribune reports:
February 20, 2009
As a radiologist in the western suburbs, Dr. Imran Qureshi won't do procedures such as angiograms without the latest technology, monitoring devices and sterile equipment. But those medical standards seemed like luxuries when he spent a week in war-torn Gaza late last month.
The Naperville resident was part of a medical relief team made up of Muslim physicians and surgeons from across the U.S. who traveled to Gaza on the heels of a three-week Israeli offensive that Israel said was meant to halt rocket attacks by Hamas. About 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in the conflict.
Qureshi, who is Palestinian but had never been to the Middle East, spent seven days in Gaza with 10 other U.S. doctors organized by the Lombard-based Islamic Medical Association of North America.
"It was a broken-down medical care system," said Qureshi, 35, who practices at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora. "Compared to what we have here, it was very primitive."
When they crossed from Egypt into Gaza, a cease-fire between Israel and the ruling Hamas party had been in place for just five days. Buildings were scarred with bullet holes and missing walls, and mosques had lost their minarets. Inside Gaza's largest hospital, Al-Shifa, doctors were putting in 20-hour days treating people injured during airstrikes and fighting, or lacking proper care for long-term ailments.
The visiting doctors reset bones, treated people for gunshot wounds and changed dressings for burn patients, sometimes seeing burns all the way to the bones—a possible sign of white phosphorous, Qureshi said.
The physicians did other work that was not directly related to the latest conflict. They did reconstructive surgery, removed kidney tumors, surgically created access portals for dialysis patients—complex procedures that few, if any, physicians in Gaza were able to perform, Qureshi said.
He put his interventional radiology skills to use, demonstrating procedures for local doctors and working on patients.
Qureshi was shocked by the lack of medical resources created by years of fighting and border closings. "The system has not evolved," he said. "There's been no influx or out-flux of doctors to train in these types of procedures."
Qureshi brought with him three boxes with $75,000 worth of expired catheters, needles and surgical equipment, and free samples of painkillers and antibiotics given to him by sales representatives for medical supply companies.
Qureshi said most of the Palestinians he met showed no anger toward Israel or Hamas in the fighting's aftermath. The only person he met who expressed frustration was the head of an orphanage. A 17-year-old boy who lived there had been killed in an airstrike while walking from school, and younger kids who looked up to him were having nightmares and wetting their beds, the man told Qureshi.
The man also had lost his brother-in-law, "and he was venting a bit," Qureshi recalled. "He said, 'This is the life we live. We had 150 kids in the orphanage, and we were building a school for them. But we now have 2,000 orphans, and we can't build the school.' "
nahmed@tribune.com
**ERRORS: Please note that Dr. Qureshi is not Palestinian, he is an American and has no Palestinian heritarge. He has also frequently visited the Middle East, having been to Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other nations.
February 20, 2009
As a radiologist in the western suburbs, Dr. Imran Qureshi won't do procedures such as angiograms without the latest technology, monitoring devices and sterile equipment. But those medical standards seemed like luxuries when he spent a week in war-torn Gaza late last month.
The Naperville resident was part of a medical relief team made up of Muslim physicians and surgeons from across the U.S. who traveled to Gaza on the heels of a three-week Israeli offensive that Israel said was meant to halt rocket attacks by Hamas. About 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in the conflict.
Qureshi, who is Palestinian but had never been to the Middle East, spent seven days in Gaza with 10 other U.S. doctors organized by the Lombard-based Islamic Medical Association of North America.
"It was a broken-down medical care system," said Qureshi, 35, who practices at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora. "Compared to what we have here, it was very primitive."
When they crossed from Egypt into Gaza, a cease-fire between Israel and the ruling Hamas party had been in place for just five days. Buildings were scarred with bullet holes and missing walls, and mosques had lost their minarets. Inside Gaza's largest hospital, Al-Shifa, doctors were putting in 20-hour days treating people injured during airstrikes and fighting, or lacking proper care for long-term ailments.
The visiting doctors reset bones, treated people for gunshot wounds and changed dressings for burn patients, sometimes seeing burns all the way to the bones—a possible sign of white phosphorous, Qureshi said.
The physicians did other work that was not directly related to the latest conflict. They did reconstructive surgery, removed kidney tumors, surgically created access portals for dialysis patients—complex procedures that few, if any, physicians in Gaza were able to perform, Qureshi said.
He put his interventional radiology skills to use, demonstrating procedures for local doctors and working on patients.
Qureshi was shocked by the lack of medical resources created by years of fighting and border closings. "The system has not evolved," he said. "There's been no influx or out-flux of doctors to train in these types of procedures."
Qureshi brought with him three boxes with $75,000 worth of expired catheters, needles and surgical equipment, and free samples of painkillers and antibiotics given to him by sales representatives for medical supply companies.
Qureshi said most of the Palestinians he met showed no anger toward Israel or Hamas in the fighting's aftermath. The only person he met who expressed frustration was the head of an orphanage. A 17-year-old boy who lived there had been killed in an airstrike while walking from school, and younger kids who looked up to him were having nightmares and wetting their beds, the man told Qureshi.
The man also had lost his brother-in-law, "and he was venting a bit," Qureshi recalled. "He said, 'This is the life we live. We had 150 kids in the orphanage, and we were building a school for them. But we now have 2,000 orphans, and we can't build the school.' "
nahmed@tribune.com
**ERRORS: Please note that Dr. Qureshi is not Palestinian, he is an American and has no Palestinian heritarge. He has also frequently visited the Middle East, having been to Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other nations.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Drs. Shariq Sayeed and Saeed Akthar on Free Speech News
Free Speech Radio's Aya Batrawy reports
The recent 23-day long Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip left an already strangled health care system struggling to survive. Doctors in the Gaza Strip are fraught with outdated equipment and are running dangerously low on medicine – as patients fight just to stay alive. In the second part of a series on Gaza's medical infrastructure, FSRN's Aya Batrawy reports.
The recent 23-day long Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip left an already strangled health care system struggling to survive. Doctors in the Gaza Strip are fraught with outdated equipment and are running dangerously low on medicine – as patients fight just to stay alive. In the second part of a series on Gaza's medical infrastructure, FSRN's Aya Batrawy reports.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Two Hornell Doctors 8 Miles Apart in a War Zone
Justin Head of the Evening Tribune (Hornell NY) reports:
Hornell, N.Y. - Eight miles apart and a world of difference.
The Tribune reported on Dr. Ismail Mehr’s 10-day humanitarian trip to Gaza City on Feb. 4, and what revelations he had from his experiences, but a look into the perspective of someone on the other side of the conflict shows a different point of view.
A few days after Mehr’s story was published, Dr. Stephan Greenberg of Hornell — an opthalmologist and also a staff member of St. James Mercy Hospital — revealed he was only a few miles from Mehr on the Israeli side during the conflict.
“We are not talking places that are a million miles away from each other. I can be sitting down at the beach and looking at Gaza. We are talking about a war between Hornell and Dansville or even closer, probably between five to eight miles. On a clear day you can see everything going on at the other side,” said Greenberg.
Greenberg was in Israel from Jan. 16 to Feb. 2, visiting his mother-in-law after a hip replacement. He was in Ashkelon when Palestinian rockets battered areas as close to a half of a mile from a home he owns there.
“On the first Saturday that we were there we were rocketed twice and I had to take cover. I slept in the basement that night,” said Greenberg. He said streets were abandoned, business were closed and people changed their routines, staying closer to home and curtailing their normal routines.
Greenberg has owned a home in Ashkelon for about 30 years and visits there frequently. His daughter, Galit Greenberg, is a Israeli lawyer and graduate of Hornell High School.
Mehr, an anesthesiologist, and also a Hornell High graduate, was surprised when he found out Greenberg was so close to him.
“He was in Ashkelon, really, from where I was I could see the Israeli drones flying over there,” said Mehr when he was told of his colleague’s whereabouts.
Greenberg was a member of the United States Navy for 20 years and retired a captain. He was a liaison to the Israeli Navy and has several connections in Israel. Greenberg started a residency program in the Tel Hashomer Sheba Medical Center and visited colleagues during his trip. He wants people to understand that during the latest military conflict Israel was provoked.
“I pose this question: how would the United States respond to a rocket sent over to Buffalo from Canada?” said Greenberg, adding, “No one reports how the Israeli troops hit houses with bombs that were not armed to warn the people to run.”
He thinks the media is biased and that reporting in the area is bad. On this view Mehr is in agreement, but that is probably one of the few. The doctors both said they respect each other but conversations with them reveal they have different accounts of the circumstances in the area. Greenberg insisted that Israel opens up its border frequently to care for patients.Mehr took a differing stance.
“Fortunately, I was present in Gaza and spoke with many physicians and had the opportunity to treat many patients. A majority of my patients were children with cancer and ware denied entry into both Egypt and Israel. The embargo did not allow for medical supplies to come in and thus these children were dying a slow grueling death. I think on the other side there are a few exceptions of individuals being allowed access for medical care but the numbers just don’t add up. Once again as a doctor my goal is to shed light on the embargo. I hope that this embargo is lifted so that humanitarian teams and medical specialists can help the courageous doctors and nurses of Gaza,” said Mehr in an email.
Gaza is restricted for all the right reasons, according to Greenberg. “Think of the Los Angelos gangs taking over,” said Greenberg, explaining that members of Hamas, the region’s elected government, fire rockets into civilian locations in Israel and use innocent people as shields.
“What do you expect when they put themselves inside a civilian population?” said Greenberg of reports of Gazans horrifically injured during the military operations.
Mehr cared for some of these injured people during his trip and Greenberg appreciated his effort.
“He put aside personal fear as part of the practice of his faith and he went to places that are dangerous and difficult to live in to help people in trouble. This is a guy that went to Pakistan after the earthquake, into seriously dangerous conditions and you can’t help but respect a guy like that, for going and doing what he thinks is the right thing to do,” said Greenberg.
At least they both agree on respect for one another.
“Dr. Greenberg has known me since I was a toddler and I have a great amount of respect for him. He’s a dear colleague. I am sure he knows that,” said Mehr.
Hornell, N.Y. - Eight miles apart and a world of difference.
The Tribune reported on Dr. Ismail Mehr’s 10-day humanitarian trip to Gaza City on Feb. 4, and what revelations he had from his experiences, but a look into the perspective of someone on the other side of the conflict shows a different point of view.
A few days after Mehr’s story was published, Dr. Stephan Greenberg of Hornell — an opthalmologist and also a staff member of St. James Mercy Hospital — revealed he was only a few miles from Mehr on the Israeli side during the conflict.
“We are not talking places that are a million miles away from each other. I can be sitting down at the beach and looking at Gaza. We are talking about a war between Hornell and Dansville or even closer, probably between five to eight miles. On a clear day you can see everything going on at the other side,” said Greenberg.
Greenberg was in Israel from Jan. 16 to Feb. 2, visiting his mother-in-law after a hip replacement. He was in Ashkelon when Palestinian rockets battered areas as close to a half of a mile from a home he owns there.
“On the first Saturday that we were there we were rocketed twice and I had to take cover. I slept in the basement that night,” said Greenberg. He said streets were abandoned, business were closed and people changed their routines, staying closer to home and curtailing their normal routines.
Greenberg has owned a home in Ashkelon for about 30 years and visits there frequently. His daughter, Galit Greenberg, is a Israeli lawyer and graduate of Hornell High School.
Mehr, an anesthesiologist, and also a Hornell High graduate, was surprised when he found out Greenberg was so close to him.
“He was in Ashkelon, really, from where I was I could see the Israeli drones flying over there,” said Mehr when he was told of his colleague’s whereabouts.
Greenberg was a member of the United States Navy for 20 years and retired a captain. He was a liaison to the Israeli Navy and has several connections in Israel. Greenberg started a residency program in the Tel Hashomer Sheba Medical Center and visited colleagues during his trip. He wants people to understand that during the latest military conflict Israel was provoked.
“I pose this question: how would the United States respond to a rocket sent over to Buffalo from Canada?” said Greenberg, adding, “No one reports how the Israeli troops hit houses with bombs that were not armed to warn the people to run.”
He thinks the media is biased and that reporting in the area is bad. On this view Mehr is in agreement, but that is probably one of the few. The doctors both said they respect each other but conversations with them reveal they have different accounts of the circumstances in the area. Greenberg insisted that Israel opens up its border frequently to care for patients.Mehr took a differing stance.
“Fortunately, I was present in Gaza and spoke with many physicians and had the opportunity to treat many patients. A majority of my patients were children with cancer and ware denied entry into both Egypt and Israel. The embargo did not allow for medical supplies to come in and thus these children were dying a slow grueling death. I think on the other side there are a few exceptions of individuals being allowed access for medical care but the numbers just don’t add up. Once again as a doctor my goal is to shed light on the embargo. I hope that this embargo is lifted so that humanitarian teams and medical specialists can help the courageous doctors and nurses of Gaza,” said Mehr in an email.
Gaza is restricted for all the right reasons, according to Greenberg. “Think of the Los Angelos gangs taking over,” said Greenberg, explaining that members of Hamas, the region’s elected government, fire rockets into civilian locations in Israel and use innocent people as shields.
“What do you expect when they put themselves inside a civilian population?” said Greenberg of reports of Gazans horrifically injured during the military operations.
Mehr cared for some of these injured people during his trip and Greenberg appreciated his effort.
“He put aside personal fear as part of the practice of his faith and he went to places that are dangerous and difficult to live in to help people in trouble. This is a guy that went to Pakistan after the earthquake, into seriously dangerous conditions and you can’t help but respect a guy like that, for going and doing what he thinks is the right thing to do,” said Greenberg.
At least they both agree on respect for one another.
“Dr. Greenberg has known me since I was a toddler and I have a great amount of respect for him. He’s a dear colleague. I am sure he knows that,” said Mehr.
2/18/09 Coverage
Mercy Corps aid worker describes situation in Gaza
UAE launches donation campaign to support victims of conflict
The National (Abu Dhabi) reports on Al Wafa Rehab Hospital. To read first-hand experiences of our medical team regarding this hospital click here.
UAE launches donation campaign to support victims of conflict
The National (Abu Dhabi) reports on Al Wafa Rehab Hospital. To read first-hand experiences of our medical team regarding this hospital click here.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Gaza Fundraiser in Philadelphia PA
A Fabulous Fundraiser for the Courageous People of Gaza
Enjoy presentations by Dr. Labiq Syed and Dr. Labib Syed, brothers out of Johns Hopkins and members of the Islamic Medical Association of North America/American Medical Mission to Gaza, who recently traveled to the war-torn Gaza and will share information about their trip.
*Lovely Middle Eastern food
*Spoken word: Poets Aysha El Shamayleh & Ashraf Osman
*Music: Paddy Corcoran (of Paddy and the Hostages)
*Informational Loop Presentation created by Aine Fox
Saturday February 28
5PM-8PM
Calvary Church (basement)
48th Street and Baltimore Avenue
Philadelphia PA
Ticket prices
$25 and above - solidarity
$10 - general admission
$5 - unemployed and students
All proceeds to United Palestinian Appeal
For more information contact: PhillyIAC@action-mail.org or call 215 724-1618
Sponsors: Philly International Action Center
EON (End Oppression Now)
PRAWN (Philadelphia Regional Anti War Network)
FIST (Fight Imperialism Stand Together)
Enjoy presentations by Dr. Labiq Syed and Dr. Labib Syed, brothers out of Johns Hopkins and members of the Islamic Medical Association of North America/American Medical Mission to Gaza, who recently traveled to the war-torn Gaza and will share information about their trip.
*Lovely Middle Eastern food
*Spoken word: Poets Aysha El Shamayleh & Ashraf Osman
*Music: Paddy Corcoran (of Paddy and the Hostages)
*Informational Loop Presentation created by Aine Fox
Saturday February 28
5PM-8PM
Calvary Church (basement)
48th Street and Baltimore Avenue
Philadelphia PA
Ticket prices
$25 and above - solidarity
$10 - general admission
$5 - unemployed and students
All proceeds to United Palestinian Appeal
For more information contact: PhillyIAC@action-mail.org or call 215 724-1618
Sponsors: Philly International Action Center
EON (End Oppression Now)
PRAWN (Philadelphia Regional Anti War Network)
FIST (Fight Imperialism Stand Together)
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