From Canada with love [Archives:2003/05/Culture]

The view from here
by Jamil Abdul Karim
And now, for a change, thanks to some Canadians, some good news.
First, you’ll notice on page 15 of this issue of the Yemen Times, the story of Canadian doctors who recently came – for the 12th time – to help teach and bring resources to Yemeni medical professionals.
Among their work this time around has been to talk about the challenges faced by women in Yemen’s medical world. Good job. Such open discussion is needed, as Yemen needs to continue to move into a society where women can enjoy the same professional benefits of men.
The Canadian group – from the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada and led by Dr. Martin Robinson – is also spearheading work to build cancer clinics in Sana’a, Aden, and Taiz.
Building all three will be a long term project, but some Yemeni businessmen and politicians are already stepping forward to give resources. In Aden donated land and supplies will help keep costs – with otherwise would run into the millions of dollars.
Over the years, the Canadian team has given untold thousands of dollars worth of equipment, such as high-tech gamma cameras and microscopes, not to mention piles of medical books.
Further, it’s worked with Yemen’s Ministry of Health to get folic acid into flour used across the country. This prevents brain and spinal diseases in infant children.
It’s all commendable. I have lived in Canada and am close to many Canadians. I can attest to the fine humanitarian spirit of people from this country. These doctors feel it’s their role to help Yemen improve its standards, just like, over the decades, standards in Canada have improved.
“Yemen is developing its medical care the same as Canada did,” said team member Dr. Hugh Allen.
There’s more. Under the guidance of another Canadian physician, Dr. Jean Chamberlain – Froese, many people in Yemen have also been helped lately through another project.
Chamberlain is from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, but makes Yemen her home for much of the year. And she is largely responsible for tens of thousands of dollars of equipment that has just arrived from a charitable group in Hamilton known as the Sisters of St. Joseph.


The ship is unloaded. The trucks have run. The goods are distributed. Tens of thousands of dollars of health care equipment from the Sisters is in hand.
There’s wheelchairs and walkers, operating room lights, examination tables and the list goes on. It helps meet the massive needs in a country like this.
Yemen has traditionally been near the bottom of aid recipients. It receives some $20 per capita in annual overseas aid. Often even that aid from international groups like the UN and World Bank doesn’t get where it’s needed.
This donation, however, has hit its target. One recipient is a new maternal care clinic here in Sana’a, where Dr. Chamberlain-Froese works. When fully operational, it will handle 4,000 deliveries annually.
The other is a group of care homes, where about 400 disabled people in several facilities across Yemen live.
“We haven’t seen so many wheelchairs. And they’re all made of good material. Thank you very much. God bless you,” said the manager of one of them.
“What we’re giving them are tools so they can help other people,” notes Chamberlain-Froese, who worked with St. Joe’s from this end to make the donation happen. Last spring, she invited Brian Guest, executive director of St. Joseph’s Health System, to meet with Yemeni locals to see how the Sisters in Hamilton might help.
“What’s important about this is that it’s from private, not public money,” said Guest, whose organization is a capital purchasing group for 130 hospitals in Canada. Surplus supplies from those hospitals and from manufacturers feeds the foreign aid program, known as International Outreach.
It now ships 50 tonnes of equipment annually. Haiti and Uganda have been key benefactors. In 1999 Port au Prince’s university hospital received $250,000 worth of life-saving oxygen equipment, installed at the time by Canadian peacekeepers.
International Outreach also helps train medical professionals in developing countries, linking them with professionals in Hamilton hospitals. It’s hoped that will be the next step in the new relationship with Yemen. As a capital, Sana’a in particular is hungry for improved medical training. That could entail methods such as teleconferencing.
In the meantime, Yemeni officials are at least now familiar with St. Joseph’s and Hamilton. That’s important, because while the aid shipment was heading across the Atlantic, port authorities initially warned Dr. Chamberlain-Froese they might turn the goods back to Canada due to a new law governing foreign donations.
That’s when The Yemen Times got involved, helping to ensure there was no misunderstanding. Indeed, the shipment was vital. Now, the ship, proverbial and literal, has arrived.
While life will continue to have its challenges here in Yemen, it’s good to know that it’s now possible for folks from the other side of the world to help out. From this side, we’ll watch the horizon for more.
Freelance journalist Jamil Abdul Karim is a regular contributor to The Yemen Times.
Email jamil@yementimes.com



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