WEBVTT 00:00.040 --> 00:00.250 mm 00:03.940 --> 00:06.107 tell us exactly what your mission is . 00:06.107 --> 00:08.680 Well , the National Iraqi Assistance 00:08.680 --> 00:12.520 Center is uh a organization that was 00:12.520 --> 00:14.740 set up by multinational forces Iraq to 00:14.740 --> 00:16.907 provide humanitarian assistance to the 00:16.907 --> 00:20.670 Iraqi public . And I am very 00:20.670 --> 00:23.460 honored that I worked with a very 00:23.460 --> 00:25.840 dedicated staff of predominantly Iraqi 00:25.850 --> 00:29.270 nationals uh and some coalition 00:29.280 --> 00:31.900 that provide assistance to the Iraqi 00:31.900 --> 00:34.490 public . Our model is Iraqis helping 00:34.490 --> 00:36.930 Iraqis and I really wanna emphasize 00:36.940 --> 00:40.300 that all of our uh different department 00:40.300 --> 00:42.580 heads are all Iraqi citizens . 00:42.590 --> 00:46.450 How are you ? How are 00:46.450 --> 00:50.260 you uh predominantly help 00:50.260 --> 00:52.210 Iraqis through it . It's a walk in 00:52.220 --> 00:56.080 operation and we see between 100 and 50 00:56.080 --> 00:58.910 and 200 Iraqis a day who come to us 00:58.920 --> 01:02.690 uh needs and one of five areas , one is 01:02.700 --> 01:05.900 employment opportunities , another one 01:05.910 --> 01:09.030 is um Uh detainee 01:09.040 --> 01:11.600 inquiries . uh I would say about half 01:11.610 --> 01:15.150 people come in uh they have a relative 01:15.160 --> 01:17.271 or friend who they believe was either 01:17.271 --> 01:20.850 arrested or they're missing . And uh we 01:20.850 --> 01:22.683 work with them looking through a 01:22.683 --> 01:25.210 databases are available to us uh 01:25.220 --> 01:27.442 looking for these individuals . We have 01:27.442 --> 01:29.630 about a 30% of success rate uh which 01:29.640 --> 01:31.990 were very proud of because a lot of 01:31.990 --> 01:34.240 these people have just disappeared . Uh 01:34.250 --> 01:36.139 then another section we have is a 01:36.139 --> 01:38.194 claims and compensation section . If 01:38.194 --> 01:40.970 people believe that they have either 01:40.970 --> 01:43.192 property damage or personal injury that 01:43.192 --> 01:45.560 was caused by the coalition . Uh we 01:45.560 --> 01:48.270 help them process the claims , We don't 01:48.270 --> 01:50.270 actually adjudicate the claims , he 01:50.270 --> 01:52.381 turned over the staff judge advocates 01:52.381 --> 01:54.103 office , but uh we helped them 01:54.103 --> 01:56.640 formulate the claim properly . Uh then 01:56.640 --> 01:58.960 we have a NGO section . They do NGO 01:58.960 --> 02:02.460 training for Ngos here that are 02:02.460 --> 02:05.260 predominantly um small neighborhood 02:05.260 --> 02:07.770 cooperative's not really well organized . 02:07.780 --> 02:11.220 So we help them get organized and and 02:11.230 --> 02:13.570 help them get established . And then we 02:13.570 --> 02:15.830 also have a medical section and then 02:15.830 --> 02:17.997 our medical section , which we're very 02:17.997 --> 02:20.108 familiar with with your recent trip , 02:20.108 --> 02:23.490 is staffed by Iraqi doctors and uh we 02:23.490 --> 02:27.200 have Iraqi patients who come in who 02:27.210 --> 02:29.099 are having difficulty finding the 02:29.099 --> 02:31.043 appropriate treatment in the Iraqi 02:31.043 --> 02:33.850 Medical system . Our doctors assess 02:33.850 --> 02:37.010 their files and then over 90% of the 02:37.010 --> 02:39.066 cases were able to find them medical 02:39.066 --> 02:41.620 care within uh the Iraqi Ministry of 02:41.620 --> 02:44.520 Health's medical system on the cases 02:44.520 --> 02:46.631 where there is no help available . We 02:46.631 --> 02:48.520 worked with the Iraqi Ministry of 02:48.520 --> 02:51.890 Health uh to find a donor hospital to 02:51.890 --> 02:55.080 sponsor these patients abroad . Tell me 02:55.080 --> 02:57.890 a little bit about the how the 02:57.890 --> 03:01.740 interaction in the Will's got turned 03:01.740 --> 03:04.680 with the Children and the whole turkeys 03:04.690 --> 03:07.760 were very excited about this . Uh , 03:07.770 --> 03:09.603 this process , it was originally 03:09.603 --> 03:13.320 brought to us by a a wonderful 03:13.330 --> 03:16.340 uh benefactor uh philanthropist that we 03:16.340 --> 03:18.840 work with in Chicago . Her name is kate 03:18.840 --> 03:22.240 ketchum . Uh She's an arab american who 03:22.250 --> 03:25.800 uh was able to locate 03:25.810 --> 03:29.260 the the Anadolu johns Hopkins Medical 03:29.260 --> 03:33.200 Center in Istanbul uh which Um 03:33.210 --> 03:35.510 in conjunction with their second Iraqi 03:35.510 --> 03:38.770 children's donor conference graciously 03:38.780 --> 03:42.350 sponsored um five Iraqi Children 03:42.740 --> 03:46.700 uh for ice surgery . So we're 03:46.700 --> 03:49.200 very excited about this . Uh , this new 03:49.210 --> 03:51.266 relationship that we're establishing 03:51.266 --> 03:54.390 with Nicola johns Hopkins , how were 03:54.390 --> 03:58.380 the Children in the 03:58.380 --> 04:00.380 case of the Children ? Once again , 04:00.380 --> 04:04.150 it's uh these are cases that or on file 04:04.440 --> 04:07.060 with the National Iraqi assistance 04:07.060 --> 04:09.227 Center that have been looked at by our 04:09.227 --> 04:11.116 doctors and there's no assistance 04:11.116 --> 04:13.450 available . Uh Once again , then we do 04:13.450 --> 04:15.870 work with the Iraqi Ministry of Health 04:15.880 --> 04:19.710 because it takes a a certificate signed 04:19.710 --> 04:21.940 off by them that says there's no 04:21.940 --> 04:23.996 treatment available . So was a joint 04:23.996 --> 04:26.162 decision between the Iraqi Ministry of 04:26.162 --> 04:29.020 Health office uh and our doctors here 04:29.020 --> 04:31.850 at the Iraqi assistance Center , uh 04:31.860 --> 04:35.660 The Iraqi Air Force played a 04:35.660 --> 04:37.920 part in this , is that we can do that 04:37.930 --> 04:39.819 to me is one of the great success 04:39.819 --> 04:42.041 stories . And another example of Iraqis 04:42.041 --> 04:43.986 helping Iraqis is working with the 04:43.986 --> 04:45.950 Office of Prime Minister and the 04:45.950 --> 04:48.610 Ministry of Defense . We were able to 04:48.610 --> 04:51.370 send the as far as I know in the in the 04:51.370 --> 04:54.710 recent past , the first ever Iraqi Air 04:54.710 --> 04:58.250 Force plane in this case , C130 04:58.640 --> 05:01.570 uh from Baghdad International Airport 05:01.580 --> 05:04.920 to ANna turk international airport in 05:04.930 --> 05:08.490 Istanbul . And it was a very involved 05:08.490 --> 05:12.380 lengthy process because uh just just 05:12.380 --> 05:15.840 like in um uh United States 05:15.850 --> 05:18.070 uh Federal Government or whatever the 05:18.080 --> 05:20.191 funds have to be transferred from the 05:20.191 --> 05:22.310 different departments . And what's 05:22.310 --> 05:24.366 unique over here is is there's not a 05:24.366 --> 05:26.254 lot of electronic funding . So it 05:26.254 --> 05:28.630 actually means that the money has to 05:28.640 --> 05:30.900 physically be transferred and make its 05:30.900 --> 05:33.650 way all the way down to the 23rd Iraqi 05:33.660 --> 05:36.940 uh Air Squadron which then 05:36.940 --> 05:40.880 actually uh had to take money into uh 05:40.890 --> 05:42.834 Istanbul to pay for ? Not only the 05:42.834 --> 05:44.946 return fuel but then pay for both the 05:44.946 --> 05:47.230 landing and takeoff rights . I know 05:47.230 --> 05:49.190 that the doctors in Turkey , the 05:49.200 --> 05:51.200 decision to follow up care . Do you 05:51.200 --> 05:53.422 have any information ? I don't have the 05:53.422 --> 05:55.367 exact information . I know that it 05:55.367 --> 05:57.367 involves three of the Children that 05:57.367 --> 06:00.270 need to have follow up surgery . And uh 06:00.280 --> 06:02.336 we're working with them . That these 06:02.336 --> 06:04.502 Children will go back sometime between 06:04.502 --> 06:08.290 one month and three months . Uh And we 06:08.290 --> 06:10.170 will work those details with the 06:10.170 --> 06:12.281 Annabella johns Hopkins . Pretty much 06:12.281 --> 06:14.750 will work on their schedule with that . 06:14.760 --> 06:18.090 But once again we will send um uh with 06:18.100 --> 06:20.690 the Children in their guardians . We we 06:20.690 --> 06:23.300 will send probably a representative 06:23.310 --> 06:25.990 from the Iraqi assistance center and 06:26.000 --> 06:28.278 have everything coordinated that there . 06:28.278 --> 06:30.890 But on the other end and taken care of . 06:30.890 --> 06:33.112 Well make sure everything taken care of 06:33.112 --> 06:35.680 from transportation , lodging . Once 06:35.680 --> 06:37.458 again for the families . You've 06:37.458 --> 06:39.513 obviously been in the service a long 06:39.513 --> 06:42.050 time surgery Colonel . Uh Did you ever 06:42.050 --> 06:44.217 think that you would be doing anything 06:44.217 --> 06:46.170 like this ? That's a that's an 06:46.170 --> 06:49.800 excellent question . And I uh I 06:49.800 --> 06:51.744 actually for the job I'm doing , I 06:51.744 --> 06:53.967 found out about it before I came over . 06:53.967 --> 06:56.000 And so if you can say this . I I 06:56.000 --> 06:58.222 politics hard to when I came to Iraq be 06:58.222 --> 07:00.860 assigned in this position . It's been 07:00.860 --> 07:04.710 extremely rewarding . And uh I 07:04.710 --> 07:07.400 cannot think of a better job that I 07:07.410 --> 07:09.577 would have rather have had over here , 07:10.620 --> 07:12.842 Is there , is there anything you'd like 07:12.842 --> 07:16.170 to add that I didn't have ? I am , I 07:16.170 --> 07:19.970 cannot staying up uh how 07:19.970 --> 07:22.750 proud I am of our Iraqi staff . 07:23.340 --> 07:26.600 Uh They are incredibly dedicated , 07:26.600 --> 07:28.950 hardworking and they literally risk 07:28.950 --> 07:31.350 their lives coming to work every day 07:31.740 --> 07:34.410 and they are really the ones who put 07:34.420 --> 07:37.440 not only this uh Istanbul patient trip 07:37.440 --> 07:40.500 together . Uh but all of our patients 07:40.500 --> 07:42.556 who have gone overseas to the United 07:42.556 --> 07:46.320 States , um to Japan to Turkey were 07:46.320 --> 07:48.690 working with new opportunities in in 07:48.700 --> 07:51.190 Kuwait and Lebanon right now , they're 07:51.190 --> 07:53.246 the ones who are doing an incredible 07:53.246 --> 07:55.900 amount of coordination uh literally 07:55.910 --> 07:58.021 seven days a week around the clock to 07:58.021 --> 08:02.010 make this happen about how many 08:02.020 --> 08:05.130 patients have been treated out . Uh 08:05.140 --> 08:07.830 right now we've had 45 patients that 08:07.830 --> 08:11.040 were treated outside of Iraq . We have 08:11.040 --> 08:14.360 another approximately 65 patients who 08:14.740 --> 08:17.040 We have been able to find donors for . 08:17.040 --> 08:19.151 And they've been approved for surgery 08:19.151 --> 08:22.080 by hospitals um in countries outside of 08:22.080 --> 08:26.060 Iraq . We have , I would say an active 08:26.070 --> 08:29.030 case bottle about another 200 . And 08:29.030 --> 08:31.950 then when we came in , uh the country 08:31.960 --> 08:35.250 nine months ago we inherited 2000 miles . 08:35.260 --> 08:38.380 So I actually have a staff that's 08:38.380 --> 08:40.980 reviewing those 2000 files . Um a lot 08:40.980 --> 08:43.160 of these people need acute care . So 08:43.160 --> 08:45.160 we're reviewing them . How many are 08:45.160 --> 08:47.340 even still alive can we find the other 08:47.340 --> 08:49.950 ones or whatever . So there is a huge 08:49.960 --> 08:52.800 backlog and a huge need . And and so we 08:52.800 --> 08:55.520 are aggressively out there looking for 08:55.530 --> 08:57.530 additional hospitals and additional 08:57.530 --> 09:00.630 donors to support us . Tell you said 09:00.630 --> 09:03.080 earlier , there were five areas the 09:03.090 --> 09:05.580 medical economic , you have certain 09:05.590 --> 09:08.310 staff that work on certain . Yes , we 09:08.310 --> 09:10.750 do . Yes , we do . We we have staff 09:10.750 --> 09:12.900 that are dedicated each one of the 09:12.910 --> 09:15.580 particular areas . How big the staff . 09:15.710 --> 09:17.710 So you're going to ask , you know , 09:17.710 --> 09:17.680 that's that's a tough one . We have , 09:17.690 --> 09:20.920 we have 26 Iraqis who work force right 09:20.920 --> 09:24.690 now and of the 26 I would say 09:24.690 --> 09:27.360 the largest areas we have right now are 09:27.370 --> 09:31.000 medical detainee and NGO 09:31.000 --> 09:32.940 training . Those are largest staffs .