APPNA/ICNA Relief medical mission team arrived in San Juan PR on Thursday 1/30/20 with physicians joined from Florida, TX and, NY along with 3 other volunteers. Team was equipped with 6 bags full of medicines, BP machines, Glucometers, hygiene kits, diapers and other supplies.
On Friday Jan 31, we held a free healthcare camp in a small town of Guanica about 2.5 hrs from San Juan. Medical camp was established in the courtyard of a local church which was badly hit by recent waves of earthquakes. It was heart wrenching to see many collapsed residential buildings as well as destruction of a local high school and church.
Saturday Feb 1, we held medical camp at Guayanilla, PR. It was set up in tents, in front of a local doctor’s house which was destroyed by earthquake. At the end of our medical camp we also visited in the neighborhood a 4 years old girl who is on dialysis and provided support at her residence.
Sunday, February 2nd, our team visited 2 temporary tent facilities/Official Shelters established by FEMA & National guards at the local baseball stadium, in Guanica, PR and at another shelter in a racetrack in Penuelas, PR where 400 families are taking refuge for over a month. At the request of the organizers our team provided Healthcare services to the residents of these facilities.
Team:
Our team included Drs Mushahid Farooqi from NY, Muhammad Uzair from Dallas, TX and Sajid Chaudhary (past president of APPNA) from Orlando, FL along with volunteers local Masjid Imam Shaikh Zaid, Laith Awad (pre-med student), Tahsin Nabid, Mohamad Dahsheh and Wilfredo Ruiz. On Sunday, February 2nd, three local volunteer physicians, Dr Esam Hussein, Dr Naqeeb, Dr Yunus Fasasi, local medical student Delva Rivera and several local volunteers joined our team.
Free Medications and Medical Supplies:
Not only shelter residents were provided treatment and Counseling of common diseases as well as screening of DM, HTN, cholesterol, allergies and upper Respiratory infections but our volunteer physicians visited several sick patients in their tents for evaluation and treatment. Free medicines (Antibiotics, Inhalers, Insulin pens) as well as glucometers with test strips, BP apparatus, Nebulizers were also distributed to the patients during four medical camps. Left over medicines and medical supplies worth thousands of dollars were donated to these 2 shelter’s small temporary pharmacies.
Local organizers including Church Priest Segismundo, temp clinic manager Kevin, shelter coordinator Pedro and other local residents, were very appreciative of the services provided by our medical relief team.
Overall, it was a very successful trip during which we took care of over 250 patients, with value of service of over $200,000 including medicines, medical equipment, home supplies and financial assistance.
While working in different badly affected cities, there were several shocks of 3.5-4.5 magnitude recorded in these areas, however, the smiles we saw on the people’s faces after receiving our services, it was worth taking the risk.
Submitted by
Sajid Chaudhary, MD.
Past president APPNA[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”Back to February 2020 Newsletter” color=”primary” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fconta.cc%2F2UUWtHe|||”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
