Medair’s mobile clinic provides urgent care to newly displaced persons from Hawija

Iraq, 15 December 2016 – By 11 December, more than 1,000 people fleeing Hawija had arrived at ‘Leylan 2’, a camp for displaced people east of Kirkuk city which opened at the beginning of December. In coordination with the Department of Health, Medair has deployed an emergency mobile medical team to the camp to respond to the urgent primary health care needs of the displaced families.

“We’re seeing a lot of journey-related injuries from people who have walked for 24 to 36 hours,” said Joy Wright, Medair Health Manager. “One woman had elbow tendinitis from carrying her child during the long walk.”

On Monday, the team saw more than 200 patients, with a range of health conditions including respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea, skin diseases, and untreated chronic illnesses.

One woman told clinic staff: “Everything was running out. We ran out of rice and oil. There was no health care and our children were sick. We could stay and the children might die, or we could leave together and we might also be killed, but at least we’d be together.”

Since August of this year, 47,000 people have been displaced from Hawija.ⁱ On 4 December alone, 1,100 persons fled Hawija. Leylan 2 camp currently houses 1,500 displaced persons, and has capacity for 920 tents. Medair is continuing to provide medical support for displaced people living in and around Kirkuk city.

Medair is an international relief agency headquartered in Switzerland. We help people who are suffering in remote and devastated communities around the world survive crises and recover with dignity, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or nationality. Medair’s Emergency Response in Iraq is funded by European Union Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), US Agency for International Development, Transform Aid, and generous private donors.

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Media enquiries should be directed to: Paola Barioli, Relations Presse , +41(0)78 635 30 95

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ⁱ IOM International Organization for Migration