T&D Staff Writer

An Orangeburg doctor is back in the United States after four months of awaiting clearance from the U.S. government to return.

Dr. Mahmoud Mustafa Husein Abu-Ata of the Neurology and Pain Clinic returned to the States on Oct. 21 after an extended and unplanned absence due to what his colleague, Dr. Mohammed Alhatou, has ide.jpgied as governmental red tape.

"He was all clear," Alhatou said, explaining how paperwork and other delays occurred as he tried to get his passport at the U.S. Embassy in Jordan. "It was really just bureaucracy. We were very disappointed."

A sign saying "Welcome back, Abu-Ata" donned the outside of the Pelham Court clinic.

While Abu-Ata has made his much-awaited return to the area, due to his workload, which office staff says will be steady through the beginning of the year, he was unable to personally speak with The Times and Democrat.

Abu-Ata's return is a relief to Alhatou.

Since Abu-Ata's absence, he has been struggling, working 17-hour days to treat the clinic's approximately 3,500 active patients by himself.

"We got a lot of calls from our patients and even from Orangeburg and Calhoun county residents who came to the office and expressed their support," Alhatou said. "I think the heroes who helped us are the local people. We really appreciated their support. We got thousands of calls of support."

Alhatou said although he was eager to have his friend back home, the wait was a struggle.

"As the process went, he went like everyone else," Alhatou said, explaining that attempts to expedite his return were unsuccessful.

Abu-Ata went to his home country of Jordan on June 15 for a visit and was told by the U.S. Embassy that it could take two months or more before he could return to the States.

Fellow physicians originally questioned whether their colleague may have been the victim of the greater scrutiny given to foreign-born doctors in the aftermath of the British terrorist plot uncovered in early July. U.S. officials say foreign doctors now face not only difficult licensing requirements but lengthy background checks and security interviews.

Alhatou said during Abu-Ata's time away, requests were placed to the U.S. Embassy and the Department of State, as well as the offices of Sen. Lindsey Graham and Congressman Joe Wilson in an attempt to expedite his return.

The Regional Medical Center also tried to expedite Abu-Ata's return. Abu-Ata and Alhatou both cover the emergency room and head the hospital's acute stroke team.

Alhatou expressed his appreciation for the efforts of Wilson, Graham and the RMC.

The pain clinic serves about 40 patients a day, in addition to serving about 20 patients a day at the hospital. Alhatou said he and Abu-Ata are the only two neurologists in the Orangeburg area. They are also the only physicians ce.jpgied to perform nerve conduction studies and electromyogram.

"I have been able to handle it," Alhatou said, expressing his gratitude to his patients who worked with him during his ordeal. "Our patients understand. People who were not sick -- they would call in and say they would give their spots to someone else. The hospital has worked very well for us. It worked out very smoothly."

With the return of Abu-Ata, the workload has been spread out, helping to reduce his hours.

With Abu-Ata's return, Alhatou said he is looking forward to spending time with his wife Nour and four children.

He is looking to take a much-needed two week vacation sometime in December.

"It touched me when my son (six-year old Abraham) told my wife that he missed me," Alhatou said. "He asked my wife if I could see him at the hospital. He asked her if he could just come to the hospital and look at me while I was working."

Alhatou also looks to spend more time with his father, Abraham, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease about a year ago.

In the interim, Alhatou said the clinic is constantly looking to recruit additional neurologists. He hopes there may be an additional physician on board in about two years.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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