On Saturday, April 5 NPI supporters were able to engage in an hour-long interactive Zoom webinar with some of the doctors Nazareth Project supports in the West Bank Physicians program. This meeting was facilitated by Dr. Suzy Srouji of Nazareth Hospital with Dr. Ez El Din Khalawi Abu Kharshiq, Dr. Tareq Shabana, Dr. Ihab Sulemain representing the physicians in the program.  

After introducing the physicians to the audience, Dr. Srouji began to ask the doctors questions about their individual stories and how they intersect with the work NPI and Nazareth Hospital are engaged in. All of the doctors have families with young children and are balancing this with the intensive training they are undergoing in the program. Dr. Abu Kharshiq’s goal is to specialize in Internal Medicine and later Cardiology, Dr. Tareq Shabana is specializing in Emergency Medicine, Dr. Ihab Sulemain is also seeking specialization in Internal Medicine.  

The doctors expressed their desire to help their native communities in the West Bank, which are in desperate need of specialists. They emphasized the lack of medical accessibility in the region and how this lack drove them to seek more training at Nazareth Hospital. Dr. Abu Kharshiq said that after his graduation from medical school, he waited until the specialist program was open at a top institution and considers Nazareth Hospital to fit that description.  

One of the current challenges that makes training at the hospital difficult is the ordeal of leaving the West Bank to get to Nazareth. There is a maze of checkpoints to pass through in addition to the volume of paperwork needed to cross the border. The doctors expressed gratitude for all the assistance Nazareth Hospital’s staff provided to make that aspect easier for them. All the participants also thanked NPI for the financial assistance the West Bank Physicians program provides for them as they study, some of the doctors are away from their families 5 days a week.  

At the conclusion of the webinar, NPI supporters were able to express their gratitude to the doctors for their work and dedication. Some mentioned how much of an encouragement their stories are to them and how excited they are for the future of Nazareth Hospital despite the challenges occurring in the broader world. NPI is planning to raise $75,000 during 2025 to help support the costs of the doctors’ training in Nazareth.