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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Avicenna J Med 2017; 07(04): 176-181
DOI: 10.4103/ajm.AJM_100_17
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Pediatric care during a short-term medical mission to a Syrian refugee camp in Northern Jordan

Kenneth L Abbott
University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI
,
Catherine A Woods
University Health Partners Medical Services, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
,
Dahlia A Halim
Private Practice, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
,
Henna A Qureshi
Department of Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond; Department of Pediatrics, Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children, Falls Church, VA
› Author Affiliations Financial support and sponsorship Nil.
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Abstract

Introduction: The Syrian refugee crisis, now in its 6th year, has displaced millions. Refugees depend on support from host nation governments and humanitarian organizations like the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS). We describe the delivery of pediatric care during a SAMS short-term medical mission to a refugee camp in Northern Jordan. Methods: The medical mission team encompassed dozens of specialties. Teams visited many sites, including the Zaatari refugee camp near the Syrian border. For this study, we gathered quantitative data from one physician who provided pediatric care and anecdotes from multiple SAMS physicians who provided pediatric care in Zaatari during the same time period. The physician supplying the quantitative data recorded age, diagnoses, and prescriptions for each patient. Results: The physician saw an average of 69 patients per day. Many of these were children aged 0–4 years. At least one diagnosis was recorded for 73.9% of patients, and at least one prescription was recorded for 85.5% of patients. Discussion: Most presenting complaints involved acute infectious illnesses, but these seemed preventable and related to refugees' living situations. Mental health assessment was difficult. Referrals proved important for evaluation and management of both acute and chronic conditions. For the short term, we emphasize the importance of effective liaison with refugee camp authorities and outside health-care organizations. For the long term, we recommend increased health-care infrastructure development and more emphasis on preventative care. Conclusion: With this study, we provide new quantitative and qualitative insights into pediatric care during a short-term medical mission to a Syrian refugee camp in Northern Jordan.

Keywords

Jordan - medical mission - pediatrics - refugee camp - Syria - Syrian American Medical Society - Zaatari


Publication History

Article published online:
09 August 2021

© 2017. Syrian American Medical Society. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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