01:02Iraq: Stretched health resources as Syrian refugee crisis escalates
Iraq: Health resources stretched as Syrian refugee crisis escalates
Thousands of refugees from Syria have flooded the Kawargosk camp in Iraqi Kurdistan. The newly created camp has already attracted an estimated 15,000 people, 7,000 of them children. Heat stroke, dehydration and diarrhoea afflict many in the camp, where the stifling heat and limited access to water weigh most heavily on children and the elderly.
All emergency cases are transferred to the Hawler hospital in nearby Erbil, where access to medicine and check ups are free. Plans are afoot to set up a permanent clinic in the camp, with the aim of providing treatment for people with acute and chronic illnesses.
According to the United Nations, some 40,000 Syrians have streamed into the Kurdistan region of Iraq over the past week. The influx follows a decision by officials to reopen a border crossing with neighbouring Syria. Numbers are estimates as registration began three days ago, with the aim of registering 300 people per day.
The majority of refugees in the Kawargosk camp were directed there after passing through the Syrian-Iraqi Sahel border crossing.
01:02NONE
Iraq: Health resources stretched as Syrian refugee crisis escalates
Thousands of refugees from Syria have flooded the Kawargosk camp in Iraqi Kurdistan. The newly created camp has already attracted an estimated 15,000 people, 7,000 of them children. Heat stroke, dehydration and diarrhoea afflict many in the camp, where the stifling heat and limited access to water weigh most heavily on children and the elderly.
All emergency cases are transferred to the Hawler hospital in nearby Erbil, where access to medicine and check ups are free. Plans are afoot to set up a permanent clinic in the camp, with the aim of providing treatment for people with acute and chronic illnesses.
According to the United Nations, some 40,000 Syrians have streamed into the Kurdistan region of Iraq over the past week. The influx follows a decision by officials to reopen a border crossing with neighbouring Syria. Numbers are estimates as registration began three days ago, with the aim of registering 300 people per day.
The majority of refugees in the Kawargosk camp were directed there after passing through the Syrian-Iraqi Sahel border crossing.