Imtiaz Sooliman – SABC News Gift of the Givers offering aid to Syria’s Aleppo
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A representative from a non-profit discusses a project to help Afghanistan with Phone Dis charging, which will involve transportation of wounded and damaging people from Syria and development of emergency services, including mental health care. The medical personnel face challenges to avoid being bombed, as the bomb hit last year, and the Turkish border is closed. The medical personnel need quick action to prevent future attacks and must move out of Syria, but they need support from South Africa and more resources. Doctor campaigns are happening and they hope to get as many people as possible.
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Stated region. We are now joined from our Durban studios by Doctor
imtia Suleiman, the founder, director and chairman of gift of
the givers, a South African non governmental organization which
has been assisting Syrian refugees since 2012
Doctor Suleman, eh,
good afternoon and nice to talk to you, as we are reporting there, a
new deal is being negotiated to complete the evacuation of rebel
held areas in Syria's
that that that is in Syria's east of Aleppo. Now, are you prepared
for this new influx of refugees,
you can never be totally prepared for refugees or casualties inside
Syria, but the fact that we're there for four years, we have two
hospitals, we have a team of 200 medical person support personnel,
we have feeding centers, we have a warehouse, and we Have many houses
where we can hold people and keep them to treat them. We also have
refugee camps, so in a way, logistically, yes, we are prepared
on the ground. We have the capacity to take in many more
patients. In fact, we're expecting hundreds of casualties to come to
the hospital. They've already given us advance notice from
Aleppo. The first 12 arrived in the last 48 hours. They said a few
more 100 on the way. But of course, because the deal fell
apart, they were stuck inside Aleppo. But in the next day,
coming days, we're expecting a huge influx of those casualties,
and we will manage them. But where exactly have you set up those
camps and hospitals, and what kind of assistance are you giving them?
We have two hospitals. The region is called darqush. It's an area
right next to Idlib region. It's so far in inverted commas, a safer
area for us. We run two of the largest hospitals in the entire
North Syria, because most of the other hospitals have been bombed.
In fact, the many attempts were made to bomb both our hospitals
and damage was sustained damage on five or six occasions, but we
survived that. The type of assistance we provide primarily is
trauma assistance, taking in wounded and injured people. In
addition to that, we have normal maternal care, many care for
mothers and pediatric care for children. We have primary health
care. We even have dialysis facilities. We have ICUs
orthopedic surgeons, general surgeons, neurosurgeons, vascular
surgeons, and a whole range of medical support. Besides the
medical support, of course, as I mentioned, we've put up the tents
and the food and the water, the blankets and right now, besides
the the fighting itself, the biggest problem is the elements.
It's a minus six degrees and many people are outside in cold
weather. They going to need a huge amount of support, besides medical
services. Mm, hmm.
Now you've been working in this region now since 2012 but what are
the major challenges of this kind of operation, and do you get
enough support from all the belligerents in this conflict?
Well, the problem is there's a continuation, there's a flux
situation all the time. In the hospital that we set up when we
set it up in 2012
there were only civilians in the area, and maybe some elements of
the Free Syrian Army. The Free Syrian Army at that point,
Farmers, Agricultural people, were not real fighters. At some point
the situation changed. ISIS moved into the area six kilometers away
from the hospital. Then they moved on, and then another group came in
the area. And what the continuous change of groups? We have to keep
a neutral stance with all the groups, and we have to make sure
that no group invades the hospital, takes the hospital or
tries to make it its own, and to get political gain, we've made it
very clear that this is a humanitarian facility. It will
treat combatants and noncombatants. It will treat any
human from any group, from any society, and in fact, indeed,
we've treated people from all groups and all factions in that
hospital, and that's why it's respected. The second challenge is
to avoid being bombed in May last year, the bomb hit close to the
hospital and blew up our windows and doors, and that's why it
necessitated us putting a second hospital inside darqush, but near
the Turkish border. A few months ago, that hospital was also an
attempt was made to bomb that hospital. So that's a huge
challenge. The third challenge, can you retain medical personnel?
Many, many medical personnel feel it's not safe. Well, it's obvious
it's not safe for them or their families to be inside Syria. They
need to move out. But we have been very fortunate in that our teams
are committed to stay there. And in fact, when other medical
personnel come from other bombed hospitals, they join our hospital,
and they said, if the bombs fall, we will die with the patients in
this hospital. We will not move. The fourth challenge, of course,
is to get as much resources, as far as fast as possible.
People, yes, the support from South Africa has been brilliant.
People have been supporting it. We recently have an international
organization that has arrived in Turkey. They now supporting us
with $75,000 a month. And just last night from UK organization
called and said they seen our hospital. They've heard about our
hospital. They got several containers of medical equipment
and huge amounts of cash, which they want to hand over to us and
support our hospital. So yes, we have support, but we need
substantially more.
Now, let's talk about the those volunteers you've just been
explaining now, the risks that they are exposed to. But are they
all South Africans? Though?
No, no. South Africans, you know, its foreigners are not allowed
anymore. The border is closed. South Africans went in 2013
when we initially opened the hospital. At that point, there
were only about eight or nine Syrian medical staff in that
hospital. Others were agriculture students. They are trained, and we
were also transferring skills to them, but it was totally
inadequate. South Africans can't survive that condition. You need
somebody full time, and it's best to make Syrians look after their
own people. And indeed, they feel empowered to look after their own
people. So these 200 personnel I'm speaking about are 100% Syrian.
We've asked even now in this crisis, do you need us? They said,
look, the border is closed. It's very difficult to take foreigners
in. We will manage and medical personnel from other hospitals
that are bombed will come and support us. So because they've
asked to be left independent, we are expecting that it gives them
dignity. They feel empowered, and they feel they're really serving
their people themselves. And finally, Doctor Suleman, you've
been talking about your plans to build other facilities and expand
the operation that you are having now and the limited resources that
you have. So how can those who want to help? How can they assist
you?
Well, they can visit our Unfortunately, our offices are
closed, but they can visit our website, www dot gift of the
givers.org, or they can call me personally. My phone is open. 24,
hours, oh, 832364029,
if you don't get through, leave a text message. All I can say is,
even if you cannot give something, these are human in distress.
Please. Let's pray for them, because we haven't spoke about the
difficulties, but the difficulties that people are going is really
horrendous. That needs a program on its own. Well, we wish you all
the best of luck, and thank you so much for your time that there was
Doctor imtia Suleiman, the founder, director and chairman of
gift of the givers. We'll take a short break now, but don't go
away. I will return shortly with your news headlines and more you.