'Whatever they need': Wayne doctor heads to Syria to help earthquake victims

Hannan Adely, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read

Dr. Souheil Saba stuffed three large suitcases with inhalers, stethoscopes, antibiotics and other medical supplies before heading Thursday evening to Newark Liberty International Airport to take a red-eye flight to Istanbul, then Beirut.

From there, he planned to drive into Syria, where he will volunteer his services with the Health Ministry in Damascus to help in the earthquake relief effort. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria has killed more than 20,000 people and toppled thousands of buildings.

"Whatever they need, I'm willing to help," Saba said in an interview Thursday.

"The country, it was devastated before the earthquake and now I cannot describe," Saba said. "Now, I want to tell everyone that Syrian lives matters. Yes, they are people. They are humans. And we need help in every way."

Dr. Souheil Saba, a retired doctor from Wayne and cofounder of the Al-Awash Private University Medical Hospital, prepares for a trip to Syria to help with earthquake relief. Saba is bringing suitcases filled with medical supplies and clothing for the earthquake victims.
Dr. Souheil Saba, a retired doctor from Wayne and cofounder of the Al-Awash Private University Medical Hospital, prepares for a trip to Syria to help with earthquake relief. Saba is bringing suitcases filled with medical supplies and clothing for the earthquake victims.

It's not the first time Saba, a Wayne resident who has lived in the U.S. since 1984, has offered to help in his native country, which is still reeling from war.

More:Here is how you can help earthquake victims in Turkey, Syria

When he retired five years ago from his Clifton OB-GYN practice, he went to Syria to help in the development of a medical school in Homs, Syria. Its students went on to work at the Al-Hawash Private University Hospital, where Saba serves as CEO and general director. It opened in 2019.

Dr. Saba's supplies include three large suitcase with inhalers, stethoscopes, antibiotics and more.
Dr. Saba's supplies include three large suitcase with inhalers, stethoscopes, antibiotics and more.

The hospital has sent four buses of volunteers, including staff and medical students, to areas affected by the earthquake to dispense medical supplies and volunteer their services.

More:NJ's Syrian American mayors urge help for earthquake victims

"They are telling me about the devastation there," Saba said. "Many buildings are on the ground, and many buildings are not suitable to live in. People are living in their cars."

"Whatever they need, I'm willing to help," said Dr. Souheil Saba.
"Whatever they need, I'm willing to help," said Dr. Souheil Saba.

In the affected areas, hospitals are full of patients, so people are receiving treatment in makeshift areas in garages and parking lots, he said. There are limited supplies of electricity, fuel and heavy equipment. Supply problems existed even before the earthquake — a product of years of war and sanctions, Saba said.

More:In NJ, wait is agonizing for news of loved ones trapped after Turkey earthquake

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has restrictions on sending money to Syria. Saba has asked people to donate to a U.S.-approved group called Togetherness US, a Syrian American organization founded in 2021 that has launched an earthquake appeal.

Other groups sending teams of doctors to the region include the Syrian American Medical Society and Doctors Without Borders.

"They are telling me about the devastation there," Saba said. "Many buildings are on the ground and many buildings are not suitable to live in. People are living in their cars."
"They are telling me about the devastation there," Saba said. "Many buildings are on the ground and many buildings are not suitable to live in. People are living in their cars."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Syria earthquake: Wayne doctor joins relief efforts for victims