Red Crescent Mobile Health Clinics Reach Out To Refugees and Rural Poor
Syria hosts the largest number of displaced Iraqis. Despite considerable economical and social consequences, Syria has continued to show generosity towards around one million displaced Iraqis.
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Supported by the International Federation, SARC has responded to the needs of the Iraqi displaced since April 2007. A nation wide network of basic health centres have been developed or upgraded providing quality health support to Iraqis, regardless of their legal status, and to vulnerable members of the host community.
Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies [PDF]
In rural Syria it can be difficult to get health care especially if you’re poor, female, a child, an Iraki refugee, or all of the above!!! To help meet the health needs of the isolated rural poor the Syrian Red Crescent have set up four Mobile Health Units (MHUs). The MHUs reach out to poor, rural communities with limited or no access to other health services. The four MHUs operate out of rural:
- Damascus,
- Homs,
- Deir al Zor
- and Qamishly.
Their coverage areas are vast, the population live in small villages and settlements scattered throughout semi-arid or desert areas. Their problems and hardships have been greatly increased by the drought. The patients cannot afford transport to the closest health facility and the majority of the patients are women and children (up to 65 percent women and 29 % children are under the age of five).
The main acute diseases are acute tonsilitis, gastritis, bacteria pneumonia, glycosuria, acute pharungitis, dorsalgia, cough, other anaemias, status asthmaticus, elevated blood glucose level, and bronchiectasis. The main chronic diseases are hypertension, asthma, amoebiasis, non-insulin dependent diabetis mellitus, chronic sinusitis and crohns disease. Patients in the drought affected areas were particularly exposed to asthma and respiratory tract infections due to extreme temperatures and increased intensity in sandstorms. A number of diarrheic patients were reported in the same areas.
Maryam
