While in the Congo, Dr. Kahn became connected with a clinic director in Kinshasa. The clinic has been open for almost two years and is operated by a director and manager from Montreal. It is equipped with Western equipment, X-ray machines, ultrasound, a full laboratory, and a full pharmacy. It quickly expanded and now has an inpatient wing, labor and delivery area, and operating rooms.

Dr. Kahn was offered a paid position at the clinic but decided it was best to volunteer because it was more geared toward primary care than emergency medicine, and he is not yet fluent enough in French. “I wanted to have the flexibility to stay at home and help my wife with our four children and be able to leave as soon as the DRC government granted our son’s release,” he said. “If the suspension extends beyond our savings, I will have to decide whether I should take this job or fly back and forth to the United States to support my family.”

While at the clinic, Dr. Kahn has learned a lot about the diagnosis and treatment of malaria because of its prevalence. “I am learning how to practice without a CT scanner,” he said. “Most of the doctors here share the same medical knowledge as we do, so it is reassuring that medicine is the same worldwide.”

Rallying Support

In addition to President Obama, the Kahns and other US parents adopting children have had great support from many other governmental representatives and officials, including numerous senators and representatives, such as Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the US Department of State, Secretary of State John Kerry, and the entire US embassy staff in Kinshasa.

Dr. Kahn said ACEP’s Legislative Advocacy Conference and Leadership Summit and the experience he received as an ACEP spokesperson have made him better equipped to communicate with legislators’ offices and the media. “All of my calls regarding the Sustainable Growth Rate and supporting emergency medicine paid off,” he said. “We are grateful for all of the support.”

At press time, there hadn’t been any official announcement to release exit letters. “I hear rumors, but they are always wrong,” Dr. Kahn said. “I hear there may be news this week, so I am trying to keep my expectations low so that I will not be let down again. I will pray that this time we will hear the great news that they will let our son, and all of the other adopted children, come home.”

Reference

1. US Department of Health and Human Services. Costs of adopting. Child Welfare Information Gateway Web site. Accessed May 7, 2015.