The
first of five clinics to provide health care to Iraqi refugees
in Jordan was inaugurated on Wednesday, 8 August in Jabal Al-Taj,
a poor neighbourhood in Amman where a large number of displaced
Iraqis are currently living.
With support from the International Federation, the clinics
will provide health, dental gynaecological and child care to
thousands of Iraqis who have fled the violence in their country.
“This is only the beginning,” said Dr. Mohammad
Al-Hadid, president of the Jordan Red Crescent Society, who
also chairs the Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red
Crescent. “The centre is only one of five that will be
providing necessary health care to our Iraqi brothers, and to
the local community.”
The clinic is staffed by two general practitioners, a dental
surgeon, two nurses, a psychological advisor and several Red
Crescent volunteers who will dispense care, free of charge.
Patients who need specialised care will be transferred to the
nearby Jordan Red Crescent hospital for further treatment.
The worsening security situation in Iraq has forced more than
750,000 Iraqis to take refuge in Jordan. Nearly 1.5 million
have fled to neighbouring Syria, where the Syrian Red Crescent
had been providing health, psycho-social and educational support
to nearly 20,000 families.
Horror stories abound among many of the refugees fleeing direct
threats to their lives by militiamen and the lack of security
in their neighbourhoods.
To alleviate some of their suffering the International Federation
has launched an emergency appeal for 18.2 million Swiss francs
(15 million US$/11.1 million €) for both Jordan and Syria,
explained Marwan Jilani, head of the Federation’s Zone
in the Middle East and North Africa. “The appeal will
provide health, psycho-social support and non-food items to
those who need it.”
The situation of Iraqi refugees in Jordan has come under scrutiny
in the past few months as the two countries began talking about
major pressures on their basic services and the need for assistance
to support their existing infrastructure.
Two major conferences on the subject took place last month in
Amman and Damascus. The first meeting was co-chaired by the
Jordanian and Iraqi ministries of foreign affairs. Several donor
countries, neighbouring countries and international humanitarian
organizations participated. The International Red Cross and
Red Crescent Movement was represented by a delegation headed
by Dr. Al-Hadid.
The second meeting, organized by the World Health Organization
(WHO) was convened in Damascus, Syria, to discuss how to improve
access to health care for Iraqis who have sought refuge in Egypt,
Jordan and Syria. It was attended by representatives of the
ministries of health and of foreign affairs of Egypt, Iraq,
Jordan and Syria, the Syrian Red Crescent, the International
Federation, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),
United Nations organizations and other international humanitarian
actors.
According to WHO, the meeting agreed that “displaced Iraqis
living in Egypt, Jordan and Syria should be eligible to receive
health care on the same basis as the local population in these
countries and that the UNHCR will continue to coordinate assistance
to and the protection of all displaced Iraqis in host countries.”
Officials in the two countries have been pointing to several
difficulties, in addition to rising strains on the health and
educational systems, including pressures on their water distributions
systems (Jordan is the fourth poorest country in water resources
in the world), significant increases in the cost of living and
housing and heightened security challenges.
Despite these pressures, the Ministry of Education in Jordan
declared this week that children of Iraqi refugees residing
illegally in Jordan will be allowed to attend Jordanian schools.
Already host to 1.5 million Palestinian refugees, the Iraqi
influx represents an increase of 15 per cent of the country’s
population of 5.2 million.
The Jordan Red Crescent clinics will be providing health care
to all those who need it, Jordanians, Iraqis and others. “We
estimate that at least 80 per cent of the clinic’s patients
will be Iraqis,” said Dr. Al-Hadid at the opening of the
clinic. “Red Crescent clinics will care for everyone,
regardless of their nationality, in compliance with the Movement’s
fundamental principles and values.”
The inauguration ceremony for the new clinic was attended by
officials from several partner organizations, including the
Federation, ICRC, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF),
and the Jordanian Ministry of Health.
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The
first of five clinics to provide health care to Iraqi
refugees in Jordan was inaugurated on Wednesday, 8 August
in Jabal Al-Taj, a poor neighbourhood in Amman where a
large number of displaced Iraqis are currently living.
Cutting the ribbon is Dr. Mohammad Al-Hadid, president
of the Jordan Red Crescent Society, who also chairs the
Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement. (p16176)
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A
general view of the new clinic, which started receiving
patients immediately after its inauguration. The clinic
is staffed by two general practitioners, a dental surgeon,
two nurses, a psychological advisor and several Red Crescent
volunteers who will dispense care, free of charge. Patients
who need specialised care will be transferred to the nearby
Jordan Red Crescent hospital for further treatment. (p16175)
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