| 14 Novembre 2016
13 November 2016 -- As more areas in and around Mosul become accessible, WHO mobile medical clinics provide vulnerable communities with urgently needed health care. In some cases, these mobile clinics are the first health responders to arrive on the scene.
5 days after Tlol Nasir village, located south of Mosul village was liberated, a WHO mobile medical clinic was the first health provider to arrive to the village. One male doctor, 2 female nurses and one social worker delivered primary health care services and immunization services supported by WHO. Services for reproductive health and gender-based violence supported by the United Nations Population Fund were also provided.
The mobile clinic remained in the village for more than 3 hours, treating hundreds of patients, the majority suffering from symptoms of suffocation and respiratory tract infections as a result of burning oil and sulphur fumes. Several patients were also treated for hypertension. More than 200 children we immunized against polio and measles. A few days later, the mobile medical clinic returned to the village to resume services for a few hours.
“For more than 2 years, almost 6000 people in Tlol Nasir village had little to no access to health care. The village’s only primary health care centre was nonfunctional, and the nearest hospital was more than 45 minutes away. Managed by WHO implementing partner WAHA, WHO mobile medical clinics are the quickest and most effective way for our implementing partners to reach newly accessible areas, so that people can get the life-saving health care they need until local health facilities are restored,” said Altaf Musani, WHO Representative in Iraq.
Approximately 11 WHO mobile medical clinics are currently providing health care services for people in need in Ninewa governorate, including accessible areas around Mosul city. In addition to providing the clinics themselves, WHO supports health authorities by providing medicines and medical supplies for the clinics and incentives for health teams. Funding for the procurement of the clinics, as well as for stocks of medicines and medical supplies, has been provided by ECHO, OFDA and Iraqi humanitarian pooled fund.
