ViewPoint Dr. Mujahid Ghazi

 

IMANA Medical Relief(IMR) Saves Smiles in Sudan and Rejuvenate Communities in Haiti

Last Ramadan I was helping to raise funds for two major organizations. Islamic Relief and Islamic Medical Association of North America’s relief wing IMR. Talking about the projects on Global TV like Geo is one thing and experiencing first hand about these projects is totally a different ball game. Last month I saw a team of volunteer physicians and medical students arriving at IMANA’s head quarter and spending their weekend in packing supplies in big shockproof boxes. Sorting them, checking their expiry dates and classifying them according to the procedures they are going to be used in. Making sure that each category of material is in enough quantity to be used during the surgeries and treatment in Sudan and Haiti. 
Dr. Ismail Mehr, President Elect was working with the volunteers at times more than everyone, checking if everything is put in respective boxes or not?  Address tags are properly displayed or not? More than 10 of these boxes will be traveling with volunteers as their personal luggage to save the money otherwise spent on expensive courier or cargo service. The volunteers and officials purchased their own tickets. IMR only provide logistic support to its volunteers, with food and water, once they arrive in Sudan or Haiti.

Their ‘Save Smile’ clinic starts in the first week of March in Sudan. This clinic performs surgery on hundreds of Sudanese who suffer from Cleft Palate, a birth defect, which is very common in Sudan. Due to lack of awareness and surgical intervention, these children and adults, suffer throughout their lives and are isolated and annihilated by the society. The volunteer plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and medical students get time out from their busy schedule and travel to Sudan to help these individuals gain self esteem and a chance to live like a normal person. The happiness and empowerment these volunteers bring to the communities is out of this world. There was a young woman who sold her livestock and walked three days with the money to reach “Save Smile” Clinic in Khartoum. She was surprised to see that doctors are Muslim physicians from US who are not charging a penny for their service. Tears of happiness and gratitude came into her eyes after the surgery, when she saw her defect repaired. She got married after few months and is living a very happy life with her husband. A blind 55 years old Qur’an teacher, who lived with the defect his whole life, praised and prayed loudly after he touched freshly repaired lips against the advice of the surgeon Pervez Malik. What is better in life than to serve it to bring a smile to the faces of people who are otherwise ignored and ridiculed by the society?

While Save Smile Clinic will be spreading smiles on the faces of patients and their family members in Sudan, another volunteer team will be working in Haiti to diagnose and treat patients, in a remote town, where people don’t see a regular doctor routinely. Not because they don’t afford it but simply because they don’t have a doctor there. Dr. Nadeemullah, a Board Certified physician in Internal Medicine, Palliative and Hospice care spearheads this project. He takes three or four teams of volunteers every year since the earthquake hit that island. They go with medicines and other materials to help the disease afflicted community.

This year I am also joining the Haiti team. I hope I will bring more information on this project when I come back.

It is not Ramadan but do we have to wait for Ramadan to dig into our pockets and help IMANA Medical Relief’s humanitarian projects in Sudan and Haiti?

To help IMR mail your donations to

IMANA Headquarters

101 W. 22^nd Street Suite 106

Lombard, IL 60148

Ph: 630-932-0000