APPNA Medical Corps in collaboration with Syrian American Medical Society conducted a medical mission to Lahore, Pakistan from February 26 to March 4, 2017. 15 physicians consisting of Plastic and cardiothoracic surgeons, Emergency Medicine, Cardiologist, Psychiatrist, Nephrologist, Pediatric specialists and General Pediatricians traveled at their own expanse to Lahore from United States, Canada and Dubai to participate in the mission. The physicians volunteered their time at Shaikh Zayed Medical Complex and Children’s Hospital, Lahore. They performed surgeries, direct patient care and hospital rounds. More than a 1000 patients were treated free of charge during the mission. In addition, the physicians conducted teaching rounds with fellows, residents and medical students in the hospital setting. Both hospitals had their medical symposia during the time of the mission and the visiting physicians gave talks at the symposium. These medical services were very well received by both hospitals and they have expressed keen interest in continuing future collaboration.

The mission provided an opportunity to build an ongoing working relationship with the charity hospitals in Pakistan. There are plans to collaborate further with the respective departments to enhance their operations, transfer of technology and ongoing faculty exchange. APPNA Medical Corps would like to sincerely thank Professor Farid Khan, Dean Shaikh Zayed Medical Complex, Professor Masood Sadiq, Dean Children’s Hospital, Lahore and their respective staff for being extremely gracious hosts and making local arrangements to make the mission very productive.

Another achievement of the mission was APPNA Medical Corps’ partnership with Syrian American Medical Society. Their physicians participated enthusiastically in the mission and along with APPNA physicians have given very positive feedback of their experience.

In future, APPNA Medical Corp will continue to conduct such medical missions to all areas of Pakistan and the world and will keep membership informed when volunteers are needed.

APPNA Medical Corps
Changing Lives Together

Babar Rao, MD
Chair, APPNA Medical Corps Committee

Some of the Physician Testimonials of the mission are as follows:

“I feel inspired by the amazing physicians who manage huge patient volumes and are still able to maintain some semblance of quality. I feel sad and frustrated that the systems are difficult to manage and improve, but determined to try. And I feel hopeful in meeting the youth of Pakistan – in the patients and medical students/residents who are trying to better their country every day. Thank you to my fellow physicians from APPNA, SAMS, SZH, and Children’s Hospital of Lahore for being such an inspiration. It was a pleasure and honor to meet you and I hope to continue this collaboration into the future.”

Dr. Minal Ahson
Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
University of South Florida, Tampa

Thank you for such a rewarding experience, I look forward to it again.
Dr. Hassan Ali Shah

Assistant Professor, Oculoplastic Surgery
University of Chicago

“I want to thank you and everyone at the hospital for their wonderful hospitality and the opportunity to interact with the staff and patients and to learn from them and to share our experience and knowledge with them.”

Dr. Omar Ali
Associate Professor, Pediatric Endocrinology
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

“It’s been a pleasure to work with such wonderful & committed docs. Hope to cross paths with you on future missions!”

Dr. Zainab Akhter Malik
Pediatrics ID, Mediclinic City Hospital, Dubai

“It was a fruitful trip. I hope and pray that we all keep up with the spirit of giving and offering our expertise where it’s most needed.”

Dr. Tokir Mujtaba
Internal Medicine, Winston Salem, North Carolina

“Words cannot describe how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to go to The Children Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan and work in their neonatal intensive care unit for a week. I think I learn more from the people there than the knowledge I impart on them. The resilience of the people in Lahore is truly inspiring. I am so grateful for APPNA and SAMS for teaming up to make this mission possible.”

Dr. Fozia Saleem Rasheed
Neonatology
William Beaumont Hospital, MI

“Please convey my heartiest felicitations to you and your American doctor team and all those who helped in organizing this visit to Shaikh Zayed hospital. We indeed learnt a great deal from all of them and hope to make it a permanent fixture in future.”

Professor Farid Khan
Chairman and Dean
Shaikh Zayed Medical Complex, Lahore