Sioux Falls doctor separated from family by travel ban
He hoped to introduce his infant son to his mother and sister this summer, but Dr. Alaa Al Nofal isn’t sure when he’ll next see his family.
The 32-year-old Syrian immigrant came to the United States for medical school, and stayed to help children in South Dakota struggling with Type 1 diabetes and other conditions needing the aid of a pediatric endocrinologist.
It was heartbreaking to then learn his own child, 10-month old Zayd, would suffer the consequences of a White House decision to put a temporary travel ban on seven Muslim-majority nations, ending any immediate plans by his family to visit Sioux Falls from Syria.
“A lot of families have been separated by it,” Al Nofal said. “We are one of those families.”
Sanford Health executives echoed criticism from national health groups this week, which have been critical of the White House’s immigration ban and its effect on health care providers. The top official for the Association of American Medical Colleges said the move would cause long-term harm to patients and “disrupt” health care research and education in a public statement.
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Representatives for both of the city’s health care systems say there isn’t any indication policies approved by President Donald Trump last week will endanger organizational strength of local hospitals. Leaders at Sanford Health, however, said they were concerned about what the travel restrictions mean for physicians and researchers who come from parts of the world targeted by the administration.
A spokesman for Avera Health said the organization wasn’t aware of any staff directly affected by the executive order signed Friday by Trump.
Trump enacted a 120-day hold on new refugees Friday, along with a 90-day travel ban affecting people from seven countries. Seven doctors and one researcher who work for Sanford come from the nations listed in the White House’s travel ban: Syria, Libya, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia.
“I don’t think we have so much concern that we’ve got any issues here,” said Dr. Dan Blue, executive vice president of Sanford Clinic. “Our concern is to ease the burden for those individuals.”
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Executives reached out to affected physicians about the federal rule changes, and discussed what to expect if they decide to travel abroad. Like Al Nofal and other immigrants across the nation who must now cope with the new administration’s immigration policies, some might not be able to return to their countries of origin to see family.
“That’s the human factor to this story,” said David Pearce, executive vice president for Sanford Research.
The AAMC isn’t the only group to come out against the president’s executive order. The Committee of Interns and Residents, an SEIU union representing resident doctors and fellows, released a statement saying the decision would put patients’ lives at risk. The National Physicians Alliance is asking people to sign its statement, which says the ban would hurt the workforce, especially for rural hospitals.
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It’s impossible to ignore the impact of the executive order on the health care industry, Al Nofal said. After graduating with a medical degree from the University of Damascus, he labored through 80-hour weeks during his residency in Houston, Texas, then went through a prestigious three-year fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
“Health care is a melting pot in this country,” Al Nofal said. “There are a lot of immigrants taking care of patients.”
Foreign-born graduates comprise about 25 percent of the workforce in U.S. health care, according to the AAMC.
For diabetes alone, Al Nofal serves roughly 150-200 children, he said.
“It’s not just me and my family," Al Nofal said. "It’s also the lives of these kids that will be affected by this order."