IMI Iraq Initiative.....(Special Report)

Access to health related services remains difficult in conflict affected communities in Iraq and the Iraqi health care system is struggling to cope with the additional burden of internally displaced persons (IDPs). As stressed by the WHO 2009 Iraq Health Sector Needs Assessment, in order to facilitate the return of IDPs, conditions for reconciliation and return must be in place, and access to health services must improve. However, the living condition of the people of Iraq continues to deteriorate. In order to address these concerns, Imamia Medics International the IMI Iraq Initiative includes several components designed to serve the health needs of the Iraqi population and improve the national health system. The project was centered on an IMI Medical Humanitarian delegation of 52 individuals—mainly experts from the medical and allied fields--from the US, UK, Canada, India, Ireland, Pakistan and the UAE who visited several cities in Iraq, performing voluntary  social and medical services, including complex procedures and trainings for colleagues and medical students in Iraq.

Donated Medical Equipment and Supplies

Complementing the humanitarian mission, the IMI Iraq Initiative involved the donation of medical equipment, instruments and goods exceeding one million USD in value, mainly through the efforts of Dr. Ali Reza Moosavi, to health clinics and programs in Iraq. In addition to predeparture shipments of these goods, IMI delegates also took medical supplies with themselves, including valuable GI equipment donated by Riverside Medical Center through Dr. Saeed Bokhari, Dr. Qasim Jaffry and Dr Gulammehdi Sumar’s efforts. Small gifts were also taken for children living in poverty and/or at orphanages.

Food for Thought: Foraging for Dinner in Najaf

Amongst the villages visited by the IMI Iraq Delegation was an impoverished one on the outskirts of Najaf. This village of about 50 displaced Shia families would feed its population from scraps of food like fruit cores and peelings that would be collected by searching through trash. The scraps would be dried out in the sun all day to cleanse them and then eaten for dinner.

Several IMI delegates independently, through the efforts of Samana Zaidi, raised funds for food for the villagers. The supplies were delivered a few days after the delegation left.

Training

In addition to lectures and hospital ward rounds, IMI delegates also trained colleagues and students including junior and senior doctors, nurses, social workers, nursing assistants, technicians and allied healthcare workers throughout their visits. Trainings conducted include:
 

Dr. Saeed Bukhari

Bioengineering, Hilla, Dr. Qasim Jaffery Clinical Training for Psychiatric staff, Karbala, Najaf, Zainab Ali Cross Contamination and Dental Nursing, Hilla, Karbala and Najaf, Dr. Ghulammedhi Sumar Exploration and Degloving of Penis and Cavernotomy its Principle and Technique, Hilla, Dr. Qasim Jaffery General Neurology and Stroke Management Training, Hilla, Dr. Gauhar Malik Hand Assisted Laparoscopic Nephrectomy, Karbala and Najaf,

Left: IMI Group B delegates with Ayatollah Fayyad Right: Ali Mirza with Ayatollah Najafi

IMI delegates had the honor to meet several prominent religious and community leaders including Ayatollah Sistani, Ayatollah Bashir al-Najafi and Ayatollah Fayyad.

Delegation Chief: Dr. Barkat Abbas Jaferi, MD, FACP
Associate Delegation Chief: Dr. Gulam Hadi Kadiwal, MD, DA, FRCA
Group A Leader: Mr. Haider Mohammad Syed, RPh
Group A Chief: Dr. Gulammehdi Ramzan Sumar
Group B Leader: Dr. Syed Rizwan Hyder Kazmi, MD, RPh
Group B Chief: Dr. Shehla Hasnain Naqvi, MD*
Dr. Tanveer Fatima Abidi, Ph.D.
Ms. Zainab Ali, RN
Mr. Mir Ali Mazhar Jr
Ms. Masooma Asghar
Ms. Marium Asghar
Dr. Mir Mohammed Asghar, MD, FACR
Ms. Batool Naz
Ms. Tasneem Bader
Dr. Iftekhar Hussain Bader, MD, FACP
Ms. Sara Zainab Bokhari
Ms. Rubia Saeed Bokhari
Dr. Syed Saeed Parvez Bokhari, MD,
FACG
Dr. Anis Fatma Jaferi, MD
Mr. Syed Ali Maesum Jaffry
Mr. Syed Muhammad Kumail Jaffry
Ms. Sanober Jaffry
Dr. Syed-Muhammed Qasim Jaffry, MBBS, MMedSc(Urol), FRCS, FEBU
Ms. Rabab Jaffery, RN
Mr. Hasanain Gulamabbas Abdulla Kanji, MRPharms
Ms. Shaheena Jabeen Kazmi