American Medical Delegation is Launching Medical Operations in Aden [Archives:2000/15/Health]
Ridwan Al-Saqqaf
Aden Bureau Chief
A group of American Ophthalmologists arrived in Aden on March 31, 2000 to launch surgical operations for victims of mines at Aden Public Hospital. Further, the delegation did training courses for the Yemeni ophthalmologists.
A press conference was held at Aden Hotel Movenpick, attended by Dr. Brant Marshall, head of the American Medical Delegation, Dr. Lewczak Frank, specialist in eyes cosmetic surgery, Dr. King Crise, specialized in eyes cosmetic surgery, Dr. Ahmed Al-Khaina, Director of Aden Public Hospital, and Chriceccel, Cultural and Information Attache at the American Embassy.
The head of the delegation said: “We are very happy to visit Yemen again. This is the third visit by this delegation. The first visit was in June and September 1999 and started its work in October. There are 9 doctors to provide Yemeni doctors with training courses.
We are here to train Yemeni doctors how to treat mines victims. We discovered about 23% of mines victims, and we also did a number of cosmetic surgeries at Aden Hospital. I appreciate the staff of the hospital for their cooperation”.
Yemen Times met Dr. Brant Marshal and filed this interview:
Q: What is the aim of the training courses?
A: It is necessary to know the volume of the problem of mines victims. At the national level, we collected information about mines victims in order to be able to deal with them. So, what we are doing now is a part of our future plan. Currently, the medical delegation is working at Aden Hospital. The members of the delegation are very happy to work with Yemeni doctors in one group. The American doctors described Yemeni doctors as good and qualified doctors who work according to their possibilities in spite of the lack of medical systems.
Q: Do you have a plan to carry out surgical operations in other governorates?
A: The aim of the visit is to help mines victims, and as it is known that mines problems are concentrated in the Northern governorates. So, we try to collect these cases in one place. Up to the present, and in cooperation with Yemeni medical doctors, we did seven eye surgical operations. There is a suggestion to establish mines center in Hadramout governorate, and if this suggestion becomes true, we will make a number of visits to other governorates.
On the occasion of inaugurating the activity of the delegation, Mr. Taha Ahmed Ghanim, Governor of Aden, Mr. Mansour Abduljaleel, Governor of Lahij, and Ahmed Ali Mohsen, Governor of Abyan met the American Medical Delegation. They examined the technical equipment of the delegation, which costs US$ 55,000.
The visit of the American Delegation comes as part of the cooperation program between Yemen’s and American government, UNDP, and a number of donors as Japan, Canada, Germany, and Switzerland. The assistance aims at helping victims of mines explosions, and to establish the National Project of Demining in Yemen. The American Medical Delegation will leave the country on April 11, 2000, and it is expected to be back in October, 2000.
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