Medical Evacuation (Medevac) and Medical Capacity Building Projects

Thousands of helpless Iraqi citizens are in urgent need of medical treatment, many of whom can only be saved through emergency medical evacuation. The Iraqi health system is overwhelmed and unable to adequately provide patients with the care they so desperately need. At present, the facilities are characterized by shortages of supplies, drugs and equipment, few trained doctors and no capacity to train additional staff.

Your donation will support the following IOM activities:

• Providing transportation for the 6,000 plus patients in need of medical evacuation
• Matching patients with specialists on Emergency International Medical Teams who can provide them with necessary services and treatment
• Training 100 Iraqi medical professionals to deliver much needed health services inside Iraq

The Emergency International Medical Teams will provide immediate assistance in addressing the short to medium term needs of patients. At the same time, the Teams will provide an opportunity for training and knowledge transfer to local doctors who will be assisting them.

The training provided by the Emergency International Medical Teams will help to reduce the existing caseload of over 6,000 patients and will therefore reduce the number of patients on the medical evacuation list. The improved capacity of the local medical care system will be able to benefit a much larger group of patients in the long run.

A SUCCESS STORY

On August 22nd 2007 CNN published a horrifying story about a five-year-old Iraqi boy, Youssif, who was caught by masked men, soaked with gasoline, and set on fire outside his house in central Baghdad. "They dumped gasoline, burned me, and ran," Youssif told CNN during the interview.

The story gripped the world’s attention. IOM contacted the grief stricken family in Baghdad to see what could be done. One option involved operating on the child in Jordan, but if that proved too difficult, the only option left was limited treatment inside Iraq. Treatment in the United States seemed like a far-fetched idea at the time.

But donors in the United States and around the world came to the rescue. Weeks later, IOM’s Medical Officer in Baghdad met with the family to deliver the good news – thousands of CNN viewers had donated to pay for Youssif’s treatment.

IOM's Medical Officer in Baghdad examines Youssif

The IOM Medical Officer quickly prepared Youssif for transportation, gathered the medical records required for processing, and facilitated meetings between the CNN crew and Youssif and his parents by providing a safe location in Baghdad. By mid-September, Youssif and his family were flown to the United States where he was able to receive multiple surgeries and extensive rehabilitation.

Youssif is one of many individuals that IOM has helped in Iraq. Unfortunately, many more still remain. There are literally hundreds of ‘Youssifs’ still suffering in Iraq. They need urgent medical attention, and many of them cannot get that attention in the antiquated facilities of Iraq.

 USAIM’s IRAQ EMERGENCY MEDICAL PROGRAM

To donate online, please click the Donate Now button at the top of this page. Donations can also be mailed to the address below or phoned in to the number provided.

USAIM
1752 N Street NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 862-1826 x 253
Email: info@usaim.org