Durbin Announces Chicago's Dr. Zaher Sahloul, President Of MedGlobal, As State Of The Union In Guest In Senate Floor Speech

Floor Speech

“I’m hosting an extraordinary resident of my state, Dr. Zaher Sahloul. Dr. Sahloul is a critical care specialist at Advocate Christ Medical Center and Saint Anthony’s Hospital. He’s an Associate Professor in Clinical Medicine at the University of Illinois in Chicago, but he is much, much more than that.
Dr. Sahloul has a long history of leading timely, and often dangerous, medical missions to some of the most desperate parts the world, including recently a trip to Gaza. You see, Dr. Sahloul is the president of MedGlobal, a nonprofit that provides critical medical services in areas of crisis
In 2017, when the Burmese military was attacking that country’s Rohingya population with unspeakable cruelty, he [Dr. Sahloul] and his colleagues helped the war-weary refugees who were fleeing into Bangladesh. I had the chance to visit him and witness these efforts first-hand at one such camp in the Bangladeshi city of Cox’s Bazar.
I will never forget walking through the sea of desperate humanity and seeing what he and his colleagues were doing to bring basic dignity and basic medical care to this traumatized population. It was truly heroic.
His most recent work in Gaza is a stark reminder of the dire humanitarian needs unfolding in this current crisis that started with the horrific October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. He shared with me and several of my colleagues deeply troubling stories of innocent people caught in this conflict who are in desperate need of basic medical attention and supplies. Operations and amputations occurring using vinegar as an antiseptic, or Tylenol for anesthesia, in the amputation of children’s limbs, or expectant mothers without safe medical facilities to give birth.
The United States has started airdropping emergency supplies into Gaza. It is a relatively small step, but it is a step in the right direction, although not a long-term solution to the conflict. I have long called for a ceasefire by all sides that includes the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.

I hope that is the case. And I hope that any such pause can be used to reunite hostages with their families and deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid into Gaza. I continue to believe in the two-state solution, one with new leadership on all sides. I think it is the only viable, long-term path forward.

In tomorrow’s State of the Union address, President Biden will not only fulfill one of his most important constitutional obligations, but he will also have the opportunity to highlight to America how his administration has been working with congressional Democrats to improve the lives of our nation’s working families.

I am honored to be joined by a guest who embodies the best of America – selflessness, a commitment to service, and a belief that a single individual has the ability to make the world a better place."

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