News on Iraq

Global Operations and Development, in collaboration with Giving Children Hope, persists in the development of a fully functioning and ongoing Continuing Medical Education (CME) program. The purpose of CME is to facilitate an exchange of information and knowledge between American doctors, hospitals, and universities, and their Iraqi counterparts. This exchange is especially crucial, as the Iraqi medical sector has been ravaged by years of wars and sanctions, creating not only a shortage of medicines and equipment, but also preventing physicians in the country from accessing the latest in medical technologies and practices.

In the past year, GO&D/GCH has been responsible for enabling three Iraqi physicians in the fields of reconstructive plastic surgery, neuro-surgery, and orthopedic surgery, to train and observe surgeries at prestigious universities and hospitals in Southern California. With this essential groundwork set with high-ranking Iraqi doctors, CME is ready to expand by sending, for the first time, American physicians to Basra, while also welcoming more Iraqi doctors to the United States.

On December 12th, 2005, three American physicians will travel to Basra to observe and participate in pediatric spinal surgeries at local medical facilities.

Then, in January 2006, five Iraqi physicians, to be selected by Dr. Zuhair Fathallah, designated representative of CME and approved by Dr. Thamer Hamdan, Chairman of GCH., will attend a four week advanced medical training course at the University of Southern California. Dr. Hamdan has also been invited to be a distinguished speaker at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in D.C.

Dr. Zuhair Fathallah, a plastic surgeon from Basra, Iraq, as a guest of Dr. Jim Beckman of Arkansas, attended an American Society of Plastic Surgeons conference in Chicago. He is currently being hosted by Global Operations and Development/Giving Children Hope in Southern California as a part of GO&D/GCH's Continuing Medical Education (CME) program. Dr. Fathallah's first day was spent with Dr. Christian Moore in Fullerton, and the remainder of his time will be spent at the University of Southern California observing reconstructive surgeries. Dr. Fathallah is concentrating on ear reconstruction in the hopes of assisting over 450 soldiers in Southern Iraq who had their ears removed as punishment for desertion. The effects of such war-related disfigurements transcend the physical realm, creating debilitating psychosocial problems for sufferers. Thus, the need for the transference of current medical practices in reconstructive surgery, among many other fields, is vital to the revitalization of the Iraqi medical sector.

In partnership with University California Irvine, Global Operations and Development has arranged the connections and logistics to bring evacuated canisters to test air quality for volatile organic compounds. Dr. Don Blake (Department of Chemistry) is facilitating the research work. The canisters were sent to the Embassy in Basra and delivered to Dr.Thamer Hamdan, Dean of the Medical College. A small press event was held with the opening of the first canisters near the Embassy compound. A full report will be available on request.

ANOTHER IRAQI PHYSICIAN WILL BE COMING TO ORANGE COUNTY!!

We have been asked to assist with the processing of a visa for Dr. Zuhair, a plastic surgeon who has been invited to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons which will be meeting September 24 in Chicago. He is part of the newly formed nongovernmental organization (NGO) Global Operations and Development and was responsible for distributing our first container shipment of food in 2003 and for providing a place for us to stay in Basrah 2004.

These are pictures from medical clinics in western Iraq. These clinics serve the local population as well as travelers in the area. These pictures show their entire medical inventory.

These pictures show just how dire the need for help is. Iraqi hospitals and pharmacies face a significant shortage of essential medicines and supplies due to years of conflict and continuous sanctions, but with GO&Ds experience with medicine procurement and development, and your donations, a significant and beneficial change can be made to the Iraqi medical sector, and thus the Iraqi citizens who depend on this sector for their health and well being.

Global Operations and Development is very grateful for the work of the American military in their efforts to work alongside the Iraqi people. Their humanitarian work in western Iraq has been exceptional and with that we are very grateful.

The construction work of the Rutbah Hospital will be completed in June. The servicemen have been instrumental in receiving the aid which has been brought to this area and making sure it is distributed to Primary Care facilities and clinics.

Although we are located in different sections of the globe, together we can and are making a difference.

Dr. T. A. Hamdan and Dr. Khalid Mayah visited the headquarters of Global Operations and Development yesterday. Dr. Hamdan, the Chairman of the Orthopaedic Surgery Dept. and Dean of the School of Medicine, University of Basrah, Iraq and Dr. Mayah, Neurosurgeon and Director of the Teaching Hospital of the University of Basrah were joined by Vance O. Gardner M.D. and Don Marquis, (President and Vice President of MediMultiMedia) and Juliana Ditty, Co-Founder of Global Operations and Development. At Global Operations, they toured the facility and discussed future projects.

At MMM, they toured the web and media hosting servers in the data center and witnessed an online demonstration in the MMM conference room. Joint projects between MMM, OSI, Global Operations and the Iraqi physicians were discussed. The projects discussed would require the expertise of all entities.

Global Operations and Development, experts in the logistics of medical equipment procurement and delivery to remote areas of the globe, and MediMultiMedia, Inc., developers of unique on-line medical training may help provide assistance to the equipment and training needs of the Iraqi health system. One plan is to partner with Southern California area hospitals to help with the "hands on" training and equipment needs of the Iraqi doctors. An on-line curriculum may also be developed with the University of Basrah and it's teaching hospitals. The search for funding of these exciting projects is underway.

For addition information please visit these websites.

ISO Foundation

MediMultimedia

Iraq

Global Operations and Development will be working with Dr. Thamer Hamdan from the Basrah Medical College and Dr. Khalid Mayah from the Alsadar/Basrah Teaching Hospital to develope a biomedical program for the maintenance of medical equipment. An Iraqi engineer will be sent to the Global facility to train for 3 months on retrofitting and refurbishing medical equipment. This learning experience will be taken back to Iraq and shared so that others can replicate the process.

Basra, Iraq

Iraqi physicians from Basra, located in Southern Iraq. Dr. Hamdan, orthopedic surgeon and Dean of a Medical College and Dr. Khalid, neurosurgeon and Director of a Teaching Hospital will be with us until February 22. Working with the medical staff of St. Joseph's Hospital and Children' s Hospital Orange County (CHOC), the doctors will be attending conferences in their specialty and observing numerous surgical procedures. In partnership with Dr. Vance Gardner, Executive Director of Orthopedic Specialties Institute (OSI) and Founder of MediMultiMedia Technology a "Virtual Institute" concept for compelling on-line education will be designed and implemented for use in the Middle East. This will start in Basra and be shared in Western Iraq where there is great enthusiasm for this program. These procedures as well as primary health care and forms of preventative medicine will be translated to Arabic and available online

Global Operations and Development/Giving Children Hope brought over two Iraqi physicians to the United States for Continued Medical Education (CME). Dr. Thamer Hamdan (Dean of the Basra Medical College, Orthopedic Surgeon, President of the Iraqi Orthopedic Association) and Dr. Khalid Mayah (Director of the Basra Teaching Hospital, Neurosurgeon), participated in the creation of a "virtual institute" while in Southern California. The two doctors observed and filmed pediatric spinal surgeries at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital of Orange County and later used these films as a teaching tool to instruct medical students in Iraq.

Unfortunately, years of sanctions have left the Iraqi medical sector dilapidated and under-resourced, necessitating programs like CME, which provide Iraqi physicians access to up-to-date procedures and technologies. By ensuring that Iraqi doctors are trained and supported to handle all the medical cases they encounter, the health and well being of thousands of Iraqi citizens will be safeguarded.