Mobile clinics bridge a gap to provide health care in remote communities
UNICEF supports health teams to help vulnerable families in Deir ez-Zor
Masrab village, rural Deir ez-Zor: “Mothers love to come when we are here. We receive between 70-80 people per day,” said Doctor Mohamad. The 49-year-old is the paediatrician, and he works with mobile health team visiting Masrab village in rural Deir ez-Zor on weekly basis.
Mobile clinics play an integral part in providing health care in remote communities. In Syria, the health infrastructure has been severely affected by the conflict. Two out of five sub-districts do not have functional primary health care facilities, forcing families to either delay medical care or take long trips if they can afford it.
Mohamad’s team is hosted in the village leader’s house, and it receives mothers and children through a fixed announced schedule. The team is one of the health teams servicing 40 villages in Deir ez-Zor. Supported by UNICEF, they provide health care services to vulnerable mothers and children. This includes providing integrated medical services for children and pregnant and lactating mothers. “This is the only option to provide services in the area, there are no other centres around. People totally rely on the mobile medical team for medication,” Doctor Mohamad explained.
With the hard economic situation and the severe shortage of fuel, this centre provides a good alternative to families who can’t afford private clinics or cannot secure public transportation to reach the city.
The mobile team oversees five villages and announces its visits through school principals and village chiefs. It provides various free medical services, including clinical examinations, medicine, and referrals services, to children. At the same time, the team screens children and mothers for malnutrition, follows up on severe wasting cases and provides therapeutic and nutritional supplements. Additionally, the team raises awareness about communicable diseases, routine vaccination, and personal hygiene practices. The team also runs counselling sessions on the importance of breastfeeding for pregnant and new mothers.
“With the hard economic situation and the severe shortage of fuel, this centre provides a good alternative to families who can’t afford private clinics or cannot secure public transportation to reach the city,” Doctor Mohamad clarified.
“I came for my scheduled follow up appointment. The doctor provides me with nutritional supplements. Also, my two-year-old daughter Yamama needs a check-up,” said Khadijah, 20. “I check on my health regularly as I need to be strong enough to take care of my four children,” added the pregnant mother.
Khadijah brought her little 2-year- old Yamama to check up on her skin. Yamama struggled with an allergy, but she is doing better after several treatment sessions.
“I am very happy with the services we receive. All health workers at the clinic are helpful and nice” Khadijah said.
In 2022, UNICEF Syria reached more than 526,350 children and over 399,20 mothers with different health and nutrition services within Deir ez-Zor and Al Hasakeh governorates. This support was provided through 12 mobile clinics and 14 fixed clinics that offer health and nutrition care to vulnerable families.
This assistance was possible because of the contributions of the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA/USAID), the Governments of Australia & Denmark, and United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund.
