Pakistani-American doctors spur quake response

Physicians with ties to Pakistan are raising donations, volunteering and supporting the relief efforts.

By Myrle Croasdale, AMNews staff. Nov. 21, 2005.

After seeing images of the Oct. 8 Pakistan earthquake on the news, family physician Ayaz Samadani, MD, one of thousands of Pakistani-American physicians practicing in the United States, was moved to do what he could to help survivors.

"This is a matter of urgency," said Dr. Samadani, a past president of the Wisconsin Medical Society and chair of the Wisconsin Dept. of Health and Family Services' public health council. "As the days go by, there are more victims falling into desperate conditions due to the lack of proper care."

Dr. Samadani is one of many physicians with ties to the area who have responded to the 7.6 magnitude quake in northwest Pakistan and parts of Kashmir that killed more than 73,000 people, severely injured 70,000 residents and destroyed 3.3 million homes. Physicians from the United States have organized fundraisers, sent medical supplies and equipment and traveled into the devastated areas to provide medical care.

The Islamic Medical Assn. of North America and the Assn. of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America are the central organizations sending teams of volunteer physicians into Pakistan from the United States. To date, 100 physicians have volunteered through IMANA, and $400,000 has been raised, said Shiraz Malik, IMANA's executive director. Also, enough medical supplies and equipment have been donated to fill a 747 cargo plane.