As part of NBC News’s 48 hour live documentary “Forgotton: Syria’s Children of War,” NBC medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman took viewers through the intensive care unit of a Lebanese hospital that is overrun with patients from nearby Syrian refugee camps.
In the half hour live webcast beginning at NoonET, which, as we watched on NBCNews.com, streamed with almost no hiccups, Snyderman discussed some of the urgent needs of the newborns, including one (above) who had heart surgery this week. She also introduced a toddler who shows symptoms consistent with polio. If confirmed, this would be the first case of polio in Lebanon since the crisis began three years ago. Snyderman says she was able to visit the child — even sitting beside her in her hospital bed — because she’s had her booster shots.
Following the webcast, which included two live cameras, an audio operator and producer, Snyderman did a liveshot from the hospital for MSNBC. She’ll also report later for “Nightly News.” It’s the start of 48 hours of coverage on multiple NBC News platforms.
“Very rarely do people get to see the human cost of a lack preventive healthcare,” Snyderman told TVNewser after the webcast. “Syrian children are paying a high price of malnutrition, lack of vitamins, and stress. This was a chance to put a face on these children, the ones who are suffering the most.”