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IDP Camp in Syria’s Hassakeh Suffers From Medical Services Shortage

Ras al-Ayn camp is suffering under the weight of the number of people, a shortage of medicines and is expecting more people to arrive shortly writes North Press.
IDP Camp in Syria’s Hassakeh Suffers From Medical Services Shortage

Hakem Osso, an administrator in the Relations Office in Ras al-Ayn IDP camp, east of the city of Hassakeh, northeastern Syria, said on Wednesday that the medical sector in the camp is weak, given the large numbers of IDPs and the lack of services provided.

The camp hosts 1,112 families including 5,580 people, and has received IDPs from accommodation centers in schools in Hassakeh since September, according to the camp administration.

The camp lacks a permanent dispensary, and a shortage of medicines in mobile clinics, especially diabetes and heart medicines, according to IDPs at the camp. 

“Andok Construction Company of the Autonomous Administration has been working for some time to prepare the camp, but work is going on slowly due to the infrastructure of this region,” Osso said. 

“Andok company is about to finish the work in one of the six remaining secotors,” Osso added. 

The company finished ten sectors, as they are working now on preparing the other remaining sectors, since they will receive over 100 more families, according to Osso.

The new camp includes about 2,660 tents, and received IDPs from about 24 accommodation centers in Hassakeh, according to the camp administration. 

Siham Mella Ali, spokeswoman for the Health Directorate in Hassakeh, said that there are two mobile clinics from the Sawsan Medical Association, which work in coordination with the Kurdish Red Crescent in the day.  

She pointed out that the under-performance is due to the lack of medical staff in addition to the lack of enough medicines, “but we will soon work to address the shortcomings and provide more services.”

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria opened the Ras al-Ayn camp on Sept 8, 2020, in Tala’a neighborhood in Hassakeh. 

The Turkish military and Turkish-backed armed opposition groups took over the cities of Ras al-Ayn and Tel Abyad and their countryside in October 2019, displacing over 300,000 people, according to statistics issued by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

 

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.

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