SAMS concludes its largest medical mission to Jordan to date

AMMAN — The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) on Thursday concluded its largest medical mission to Jordan to date, which brought together a total of 47 doctors and 90 volunteers from across the world to provide over 5,000 health services to Syrian refugees and underserved Jordanians.

Volunteers from several specialties including anesthesiology, emergency medicine, endocrinology and infectious diseases were welcomed on July 7 by mission leader Hend Azhary, who launched the mission with remarks on the importance of providing care amidst the ongoing humanitarian crisis. 

SAMS volunteer on the discipline of gynecology Ilana Addis highlighted the importance of the mission for female patients, pointing out that “it is already embarrassing for women in the US to come to healthcare providers and trust them with very personal problems, and when you are someone who is living in a camp and seeing random doctors here and there, it becomes very difficult to tell them about the problems you are experiencing — provided they get the opportunity to see a physician at all.”

“I am a refugee myself,” SAMS volunteer in ophthalmology Soroosh Behshad said, elaborating on how his family had to flee Iran walking a thousand miles while his mother was pregnant with him. 

“That’s why the mission has a special meaning for me,” the volunteer continued, adding that “whatever is the procedure patients are going through, the most important thing is to remind them that there is always hope”. 

But for volunteer Kalyani Vangala, the time dedicated to the patients is the core element of the mission. 

“One patient that really stuck with me was a man who had previously seen many doctors and none could quite figure out his health concerns,” Vangala said, recalling how she spent only about 25 minutes with him, “and yet, he was grateful that someone had finally taken the time to talk him through his diagnosis and better his health”.

“In Zaatari refugee camp, many patients do not admit distress directly, and we had to spend some time getting that information from them,” the volunteer added. 

“This mission was the largest one by far and it took a lot of effort to organise the patients and their screenings prior to surgery,” US-based Jordanian cardiologist and leader of the SAMS interventional cardiology mission to Jordan Wael Al Husami said, explaining that the association’s cardiology mission seeks to help Syrian refugees without access to cardiology by providing free interventional measures, including cardiac catheterisation and open heart surgeries. 

Through his work in the mission, Husami, who is also the medical director of International Health and senior executive health physician at Lahey Hospital and Medical Centre in Burlington, Massachusetts, has heard many “sad stories” from Syrians. 

“There is a high level of stress and anxiety among Syrians due to what they have experienced in the war,” he told The Jordan Times, noting that tension tends to increase the risk of heart disease.

Asked about SAMS’ next step, Husami announced that the next medical mission to Jordan will take place during the first week of November this year, noting that the organisation’s clinics across the country will provide follow-up services and medication to those in need and patients who undergo surgical interventions.