Dec, 2022
Anera distributes medicines and supplies for the most vulnerable in Jordan
Jordan is home to two million Palestinian refugees and more than 675,000 registered Syrian refugees. Caring for their health needs has severely strained Jordan’s economy and its healthcare services.
Anera has long partnered with International Health Partners (IHP) to help improve public health services in Palestine and Lebanon. In the past two years alone, IHP sent a total of 26 shipments, valued at more than seven millions US dollars. The shipments have included some one million medicines and more than 700,000 PPE materials.
Now, IHP is partnering with Anera to deliver critical medicines to Jordan. IHP program manager Hannnah Dean says the new collaboration is part of its commitment to provide medical care to refugees and the displaced. “Given the large population of refugees currently residing in Jordan, we have been wanting to collaborate with Anera to provide essential medicines and support key healthcare facilities serving this population.”
The shipment included antibiotics, antifungal medicines, diuretics, antiplatelet medicines, and allergy medicines that will benefit Jordan's most disadvantaged families.
To ensure the most impactful distribution, Anera partnered with four of Jordan’s most reputable health charities and primary healthcare centers. The Jordan Red Crescent Society, Medical Aid for Palestinians, the Institute for Family Health (IFH) and the Arabian Medical Relief Society all provide affordable, often free, health services.
“Because of funding cuts, the pandemic, and competition over resources, those most in need have experienced increased marginalization,” explains Carina Aoun, Anera’s Jordan program manager, who spearheaded the collaborative program.
One of the centers receiving the shipment serves Jordanians, as well as Syrian and Iraqi refugees and refugees from other countries. IFH was established in 1986, a part of the King Hussein Foundation. IFH also works with vulnerable populations like persons with disabilities and survivors of gender-based violence and torture.
"Those most in need have experienced increased marginalization."
“IFH tailors its services to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations,” says Sarah Ahmad Aitan, who heads the medical department.
“These groups can’t afford the medicines that are used to treat acute and chronic conditions like sexual reproductive health conditions, chronic diseases and diabetes.”
According to Aitan, 3,898 patients will benefit from IHP’s donation for almost a year.
The Jordanian Society for Medical Aid to Palestinians operates a medical center in the Jerash Refugee Camp, also often called Gaza Camp (reflecting where most of the residents fled from). The center treats the camp's residents at very low costs. Some 25% of their patients are elderly, many of whom struggle everyday and live alone, but “the presence of the center relieves them of the burden and worry of medical treatments," says Shahed Alshalami MAPS’s marketing manager.
One of their patients, Husn, a 72-year-old woman, was suffering from a persistent infection in her ears. The chronic infection made her life miserable. After she received the necessary treatment at MAP, her ear was completely healed with the help of antibiotics donated by IHP. According to Alshalami, the donated medicines will support 5,000 community members and three health care centers' needs for four months of winter.
“These groups can’t afford the medicines that are used to treat acute and chronic conditions like sexual reproductive health conditions, chronic diseases and diabetes.”
IHP program manager Dean says, “Anera has a comprehensive giving-in-kind program model that maximizes the impact to the patients they serve. Anera’s team has the expertise and knowledge to deliver high quality health programs. We are delighted with our ever-growing strategic partnership and look forward to continuing our collaboration across the region.”
Anera is grateful for the new collaboration with IHP in Jordan that can provide community health care centers with the resources they need to continue serving Jordan's most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.
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