John—
In Gaza, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) have deployed Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) to provide emergency and life-saving medical care and surgical care.
Dr. Seema Jilani, a senior emergency health advisor at the IRC, pictured above, returned from working alongside Palestinian medical professionals in Al Aqsa Hospital.
And we wanted to share with you an excerpt from an interview with Dr. Jilani, so that you can get a firsthand account of her experience providing medical care in Gaza. The work of Dr. Jilani and other Emergency Medical Teams is only possible with your support. Thank you.
What was your role in the IRC's Emergency Medical Team?
Dr. Seema Jilani: I entered Gaza and worked at Al Aqsa Hospital from December 25—January 8, 2024 in partnership with Medical Aid for Palestinians. During my time there, my role was as a pediatrician, I worked often in the emergency room and also on pediatric wards.
What did you observe when you arrived at the hospital?
Within the first 2 to 3 hours of work, I myself took care of approximately a 1-year-old patient who had sustained a traumatic amputation of his right arm and right leg and was bleeding into his chest ... What we would have hoped to happen in any other circumstance at this stage should be the patient immediately taken to the operating theater. However, this patient, which again, we were treating on the ground because there were no beds available, could not go to the operating theater because there were more pressing life-threatening emergencies than this.
What was the IRC's impact at the Al Aqsa hospital?
They [Al Aqsa hospital staff] are doing everything they can to serve their communities with a colossal amount of bravery, dedication, and work ethic. But they are completely overwhelmed, as are their systems.
So, when they saw us, they were acutely aware that it was a symbolic form of solidarity, of us, from the outside saying, "We see you," and they voiced, "Thank you for not forgetting us."
You can read the rest of the interview with Dr. Jilani here. Currently in Gaza, an Emergency Medical Team with MAP, the IRC and the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) are treating patients at the European Gaza Hospital (EGH) in southern Gaza to provide life-saving medical care and deliver critical medical supplies.
With your support, we can continue to provide this critical medical care, as well as services in emergency shelters including cash assistance and psychosocial support in Gaza. Rush your support to our crisis response around the world and your gift will be tripled today >>
Thank you for continuing to not look away from the ongoing crisis.
—Madiha, IRC Supporter Communications
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