AUB doctors and professors set up multidisciplinary team to treat displaced in Beirut
It only takes a few dedicated people to make a difference. Five doctors
and two public health professors from the American University of Beirut
came together within the first week of the current Israeli war on
Lebanon to set up a volunteer medical team that could check up on
the thousands of displaced people being housed in dozens of Beirut
public schools.
Dr. Sharbel Rameh, an ear, throat and nose specialist, Dr. Maya Kahwaji,
a family medicine physician, Dr. Said Saghieh, an orthopedic surgeon,
Dr. Nabil Fuleihan, who heads the Otolaryngology Department, and Dr.
Ghassan Hamadeh, who heads University Health Services, got together
and started a multidisciplinary team after joining forces with Dr.
Faysal al-Kak and Dr. Iman Nuwayhid from the Public Health Department,
in addition to dozens of nurses and medical students.
"We saw a lot of refugees around us who needed our medical help,"
said Dr. Kahwaji. "So we took action." Immediately, the
team alerted the AUB community to chip in, and they collected free
medical samples from AUB doctors and physicians in private Beirut
clinics near the University.
"This is the least AUB could do to help the defenseless refugees
and keep them protected from disease," said Dr. Hamadeh.
The main concern was to prevent the spread of disease as a result
of crammed spaces and a shortage of cleaning supplies.
"You see, you have too many people in a limited space, with some
100 people sometimes sharing one bathroom, and that could lead to
major health problems," said Dr. Rameh.
The volunteer teams have been visiting 16 schools, housing a total
of about 7,000 displaced people to distribute cleaning detergents,
medicines, and conduct medical exams and vaccines.
"We see a total of about 250-300 sick patients each day,"
said Dr. Kahwaji, who explained that two volunteer teams, each composed
of about 20 doctors and medical students, are dispatched every day.
At first, the volunteers were most worried about providing medication
for people suffering from chronic diseases, like hypertension and
diabetes. But as the war prolonged and more refugees started flooding
in, hygiene-related problems, such as lice and skin problems, began
to arise. "We are extremely worried that the growing hygiene
problems would lead to an epidemic," said Dr. Kak.
"We are really concerned about the weeks to come," added
Dr. Rameh. "You see, we also have about 40 pregnant women who
will be entering into labor soon, and we really need to be ready for
them. Also, our supply of medicines is about to run out."
Already, the team managed to set up a special clinic where refugees
could be examined for health problems that cannot be taken care of
at the schools. AUB has set up an emergency medical fund (http://www.aub.edu.lb/challenge/help.html)
to collect donations that would support the volunteer team's work,
including raising the required funds to allow any displaced person
in the area to be admitted to hospital for free, should the need arise.
"There is a huge need for medical volunteers and medical supplies,"
said Dr. Rameh. "But if we all join hands to help, we will get
through this crisis."
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