Health threats for refugees living on the fringe

More than 600,000 Syrians have fled to Jordan since the onset of a brutal civil war in their country four years ago. Many have found shelter in makeshift camps in northern Jordan where living conditions are extremely harsh and food, medicine and other resources are scarce.

Jordanian hospitals and clinics stopped offering free health services to Syrian refugees last November, making it especially difficult for families not registered in an official refugee camp to access medical care and other basic services.

The International Rescue Committee and its partners are helping to make sure these Syrian refugees living on the fringe receive the care they need.

IRC mobile medical teams reach out to vulnerable Syrians in and around Mafraq and Irbid, northern cities where the largest number of Syrian refugees live. Two teams of doctors, midwives, nurses and community health workers visit the camps on a daily basis, and also offer services to Jordanians in need.

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The makeshift refugee camps lack adequate toilets or washing facilities. Unhygienic conditions like these can lead to the spread of preventable diseases and the camps are far from hospitals and health clinics.

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Safiah Abou Sharef, an IRC midwife, visits a Syrian mother and son living in a tent in a camp housing 125 people in Sabha, near Mafraq. The mobile health team provides primary and reproductive health care, health education and referrals for severe conditions. Medicines are provided free of charge.

“We are providing lifesaving care for these largely invisible communities who can no longer access health care,” says Andrea Patterson, an IRC health coordinator. “Many are suffering from long-term illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes and asthma.”

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Many refugees in the camps had to flee Syria with little more than the clothes they were wearing. Although some have managed to find work on nearby farms, they struggle to earn enough money to cover their families’ basic needs.

“We are not used to this kind of life. We are really suffering from the cold and rain. Medicine is expensive, even if we have a job, we cannot afford it. One needs 50 JOD (70USD) to go and see a doctor,” says Um Saif, a 57-year-old Syrian woman. The IRC will be offering transportation stipends to vulnerable refugees to visit IRC-supported clinics providing a wide range of free primary and reproductive health services.

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IRC outreach nurse Neveen Malkawi visits a Syrian refugee in Sabha. Along with doctors and nurses, the IRC’s mobile health teams include community volunteers who help educate refugees about the warning signs of chronic diseases, and provide information about child nutrition and family planning.

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