Logo Wide

Two Toddlers Die in Besieged Rukban Camp as Treatment Blocked

The only working medical point in the camp, operated by UNICEF, has been closed for two weeks, leaving the camp's residents in a dire situation writes Zaman Al Wasl.
Two Toddlers Die in Besieged Rukban Camp as Treatment Blocked

Two toddlers passed way at the Rukban camp on the Syrian-Jordanian border as the stranded refugees have been blocked from getting urgent medical care, medics told Zaman al-Wasl Monday.

The UNICEF medical point, Jordanian authorities and the Syrian regime have refused to provide access for sick people, especially children, said Yazan Mahmoud, a member of the administrative staff at the Cham Medical Centre.

Infant Munaf al-Hammoud, a 14-month-old, and baby girl Huda Raslan both lost their lives due to a lack of medical equipment and medical staff.

The humanitarian crisis inside the camp has sparked concerns and fears for the 75,000 people based there.

UNICEF, which is the only official and working medical point in the camp, has been closed for about two weeks. According to Mahmoud, the inability of emergency staff to treat the sick has caused four people to die.

The Rukban camp, that lies along the demilitarized area between Jordan and Syria, is a completely arid remote area that has been inhabited by 75,000 Syrian refugees since 2014.

The most current and growing concern among the medical staff working in the Rukban camp are the diseases affecting children, not to mention the dozens of cesarean sections that require doctors, medical supplies and medicines that are not available in any of the medical centers located in Rukban camp.

The Cham Medical Center offers some types of treatment for displaced families in Rukban camp, relying on the few medical facilities already in its possession. But the Center suffers from a severe shortage of equipment and medicines that are necessary to treat many of the diseases affecting the children of the camp.

 

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.

Helpful keywords