In 2013, Baraa left her hometown of Homs in Syria, when her house was bombed and family members killed during the ongoing civil war. Since resettling in Amman, she has married and now has two children – a daughter and her son, now one-year-old.
Baraa, 27, was admitted to the Italian Hospital in Amman, Jordan, in January 2020 with labour pains and fearing another miscarriage.
Like many refugees in her situation, Baraa – who is originally from Syria – did not have access to free healthcare and her husband’s monthly salary left little extra after rent and bills. Fortunately, she was able to access the care and treatment she needed, including medical tests and examinations, at the Italian Hospital – an organisation that operates under an open-door policy and does its best to guarantee medical assistance to pregnant women like Baraa, as well as children with severe infections or who require urgent surgery.
Staff at the Italian Hospital in Amman, Jordan.
Despite her history of miscarriage, Baraa gave birth to a baby boy with the help of a midwife and both mother and child were discharged from hospital the following day. In a subsequent follow-up appointment, Baraa and her son were said to be doing very well.
While Baraa’s story has a happy ending, clinics like the Italian Hospital are facing increasing amounts of pressure, making it harder for them to fulfil their mission and assist refugees who may otherwise be denied potentially lifesaving treatment. The pandemic, especially, has exacerbated any existing financial strains on these services, as funding from international organisations is funnelled towards issues related to Covid-19.
Every bit of support the IRT provides the hospital goes directly towards the cost of treatment for refugees, like Baraa, in need of urgent medical care.
A number that makes up more than 10 percent of the country’s total population.