leger-uten-grenser-syria

During the two year civil war in Syria, some hundred field workers from Doctors Without Borders have done thousands of surgeries, 150 000 medical consultations, vaccinated more than 70 000 children and welcomed 1 000 new born babies on their clinics near the war zones and in the neighnouring countries. Doctors Withour Borders is Omega's Community Project 2013. Read their reports from Syria.

The news spread like wildfire that a female doctor had arrived, and before long women were pouring into the hospital. Since the start of the conflict women have had increasing difficulties getting any sort of medical care, and in this area our hospital was really the only option. For many of these women I was more than just a midwife; I was someone who would listen. When women came for a consultation and departed knowing they didn’t have any health problems, I think they left somehow reassured, despite the conflict.

As the first female medic in the hospital Cathy Janssens went straight into a 24/7-assignemnt as she arrived in Syria as a field worker at Doctors Withour Borders (MSF - Mèdecins Sans Frontières)mother-and-child healh program, she got to meet some of the many destinies from the violent conflict, now on its second year, having demanded more than 100 000 lives so far.

Uendelige behov

From three hospitalts in the northern region of Syria, field workers from Doctors Without Borders are offering emergency and primary health care, midwifery, vaccination campaigns and train Syrian health personnel. The organization donates medication for a number of contagious and chronically diseases, and distribute emergency equipment and medical supplies to field hospitals and health clinics. At the same time Doctors without borders are working intensively to increase their activity by opening more mobile clinics and new field projects.

Doctors Without Borders have 680 field workers on assignment in Syria.

Resources are stretched to the limit and tensions are on the rise, warns dr. Abiy Tamrat, Doctors Without Borders President from Switzerland, in his statement on the humanitarian crises.

4,2 million people are internally displaced as a consequence of the war. Since the start of the civil war in 2011, Doctors Without Borders have also worked from the neighboring countries who have received more than 1,4 million refugees from the war.

Refugee crises

More than 220 000 Syrian refugees are now living in Lebanon, many undejohanr horrible conditions, and unable to get the help they need as the resources in their new home countries are scares and continuously increasing, MSF field workers report from their hospital clinics in one of the countrie

“We can barely pay for the rent and other life necessities for our children,” explains a mother of four in one of MSF’s clinics, where care is provided free-of-cost. “There was a health centre closer to our shelter, but I would have had to pay. I prefer buying bread for my children.”

Once registered, refugees are entitled to specific services from the UN’s implementing partners, but it can take up to two or three months before they are registered, time during which they cannot avail themselves of the available services. “We open our services to all people in need of medical care, regardless of their registration status,” says Fabio Forgione, MSF’s head of mission in Lebanon.

Omegas samfunnsprosjekt

Since 2003 Omega has given its annual Christams gift to a community project. Christmas 2012, Doctors Without Borders was goven 500 000 2003 har Omega valgt å la den årlige julegaven gå til et utvalgt samfunnsprosjekt. Julen 2012 ble 500 000 kroner gitt til Leger Uten Grenser og deres arbeid verden over.

- Dette er kjent organisasjon som folk har tro på, det har også vi. Når vi velger å gi julegaven til Leger Uten Grenser vet vi at støtten vil nå ut til de som trenger det mest, og det er det våre kollegaer ønsker. Medarbeiderne i Omega sier de vil støtte hjelpeorganisasjoner som virkelig oppnår resultater, og det vet vi at Leger Uten Grenser gjør, sier Aslaug Østrem Nesheim, leder for Omegas Servicesenter.