Chicago Doctors Return From Yemen, Report On Humanitarian Crisis
By Julian Hayda, Jerome McDonnellChicago Doctors Return From Yemen, Report On Humanitarian Crisis
By Julian Hayda, Jerome McDonnellChicago
physician Zaher Sahloul has traveled to his native Syria to address
humanitarian medical needs since the war began there 6 years ago. But Syria
isn’t the only place that is suffering from major humanitarian needs. Earlier
this year, Sahloul and a coalition of doctors from around the world created
MedGlobal, a nonprofit that helps victims of war and disaster address pressing
medical needs. A group of four physicians, including Sahloul, just returned
from a weeklong trip to Yemen. It’s their first visit to the country, which has
been caught in a civil war for over two years. Many have called it the worst humanitarian
crisis on the globe, with more than 10,000 people dead and 3 million
people displaced. 2,000 people have also died of a cholera epidemic since
April, and as many as 5,000 people contract the
disease per day.
In addition to addressing infectious diseases, treating physical
trauma from the war makes aid political. Many consider the conflict a proxy war between
U.S.-backed Saudi Arabia and
Iran-backed Houthi Rebels. To understand the situation on the ground, and the
humanitarian response to it, we’re joined by Dr. Sahloul and Dr. Nour Akhras, a
member of MedGlobal and a Chicago-based pediatrician who specializes in
infectious diseases.