It’s simple – go where the patients are. 

 

Encouraged by globalization and recognizing the needs of the developing world, healthcare professionals are taking opportunities to serve a larger population and make a significant impact. There are many doctors, nurses, and medical professionals from the USA Jamat who are serving abroad. Here, we profile four physicians who are serving to improve the quality of life in other parts of the world. 

 

Dr. Zohray Talib is on a mission to lessen the gap between the quality of healthcare in the western world and Africa. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Health Policy at George Washington University, but her efforts expand much beyond Washington, DC. “Recognizing that health, or the lack thereof, is a critical impediment to the quality of life and upward mobility,” says Dr. Talib, “we need stronger health systems with enough doctors and nurses, so developing countries can meet their own health needs.” 

 

Working with the Aga Khan Health Board (AKHB), Dr. Talib partners with deans and faculties of medical schools in Africa to strengthen the quality of African medical education by helping them utilize new technologies and innovative approaches. She hopes that quality medical education will produce quality nurses and doctors to serve in Africa. 

 

Why Africa? “Because Africa has 25% of the world’s burden of diseases, but only 4% of the world’s health workers,” said Dr. Talib. “There is a shift from infectious diseases to non-communicable diseases globally, but health systems in developing countries are not yet equipped to handle the shift.” 

 

Moreover, capacity-building in low-resource settings, such as Africa and South-Central Asia, often involves partnerships and external funding. Keen to improve the efficiency and return on healthcare investments, Dr. Talib is currently leading efforts to evaluate investments in medical education and its outcomes. In addition, she is leading a study across ten African countries examining the health outcomes of bringing academic rigor and resources to community settings. Beyond Africa, she is also leading a breast cancer program for women in Tajikistan. 

 

Another doctor serving in Africa is Dr. Nasiruddin Jamal, a former interventional cardiologist from New York and President of the Ismaili Council for Northeastern USA. He is currently serving as the Director of Cardiology at the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam. 

 

“It is projected that cardiovascular disease will become the single most common cause of death in the developing and developed world,” says Dr. Jamal. He believes that one of the ways to improve the cardiovascular disease mortality and morbidity is to have specialized centers which not only provide the necessary care, but also serves as a hub for public education and research. 

 

Such a facility now exists in Tanzania – the first-of-its-kind cardiac catheterization laboratory at the Aga Khan Hospital, launched in August 2014. The new catheterization lab is a state-of-the-art facility that not only reassures Tanzanians of cutting edge cardiac medical services, but also saves patients from expensive trips abroad that they would otherwise have to make. “As the program matures, in collaboration with public institutions, its anticipated impact on overall improvement in cardiovascular care in the country will be followed,” hopes Dr. Jamal. 

 

Beyond Africa, rural populations in South-Central Asia also have a critical need for quality healthcare systems and professionals. In an attempt to lessen this gap, Dr. Bud Kurwa, Director of the Kurwa Eye Center and an ophthalmologist in Arcadia, California, gave the gift of eyesight to locals in Chitral, Pakistan. 

 

In the West, there are extraordinary advances in surgical technology for cataracts, resulting in approximately 90 percent surgical success rate. However, cataracts are still a common cause of blindness in developing countries. “If the bread-earner in a family is blinded, the entire family is affected,” says Dr. Kurwa, “so even treating one eye can restore the earning capacity for the entire family.” 

 

The district of Chitral is one of the most remote districts of Northern Pakistan where people are scattered among mountainous villages. The district has poor infrastructure and limited access to healthcare. There is only one ophthalmologist serving the entire region where approximately 2,500 people are blind from cataracts. 

 

Working with the Aga Khan Health Board (AKHB), Dr. Kurwa started the first Ismaili eye surgery camp in Chitral in 2013, where he performed 100 eye surgeries, 98 of which were cataract surgeries. Since then, two more eye camps were successfully carried out by other eye surgeons who also volunteered their time with AKHB. 

 

“The plan is to have a series of eye camps on a rotating basis and expand the treatment to other eye conditions as well,” explained Dr. Kurwa. He also mentioned that AKHB is planning to expand the project to Hunza, Gilgit, and other parts of South-Central Asia and East Africa.

 

A physician working much closer to home in Chicago, but impacting the larger South Asian population nationwide, is Dr. Shoeb Sitafalwalla. A cardiologist with Advocate Medical Group, he is on a mission to prevent heart attacks among South Asians. 

 

Why South Asians? “Because South Asians are at four-times-increased risk of cardiovascular disease than the general population,” said Dr. Sitafalwalla. “One-fourth of heart attacks that occur among South Asians occur under the age of 40.” 

 

Evidently, the alarming epidemic led Dr. Sitafalwalla to convince Advocate Lutheran General Hospital to launch South Asian Cardiovascular Center (SACC), where he also serves as the Medical Director of the Center. SACC is the first center of its kind in the Midwest region designed to serve the South Asian community through a unique combination of community outreach, culturally sensitive advanced clinical services, and research. 

 

In an effort to spread further awareness, he established the Red Sari Evening, an annual event to create awareness of the high prevalence of heart disease among South Asian women. “South Asian women are at a 30 to 50 percent increased risk of dying from a heart attack compared to the general population,” he said. 

 

Dr. Sitafalwalla writes articles about South Asians and cardiovascular disease and speaks across the nation to educate South Asians. Living the idea of going where the patients are, his team visits South Asian movie theaters, businesses, faith communities, and grocery stores for educational outreach about heart disease. He is also working with an Indian grocery chain to lower the content of sodium in its products nationwide. 

 

All four doctors agree their motivation to serve draws on Mawlana Hazar Imam’s vision and guidance, and they credit their work to the opportunities that they have been given by the Imam and his institutions to contribute their time and knowledge to areas and populations that truly have a need. 

 

As for Dr. Sitafalwalla, he truly feels that he has an edge in his profession because of his voluntary experiences with AKHB and other Jamati institutions. “As Ismailis, we have far more opportunities and experiences to learn and become better in our professions,” he said.