28-year-old Muhammed Naser was a law school sophomore in Aleppo, Syria, when one day he was shot in the back. The stray bullet damaged his spine, leaving him paralyzed.
Muhammed managed to flee Syria despite his severe injury. He was carried over the Turkish border by kind strangers who had happened to witness the devastating event. As he got to the other side of the border, he was picked up by Turkish health workers who rushed him to a hospital in an ambulance.
Muhammed spent his first days in Turkey in an intensive care unit in Gaziantep, a city located in the southeast of the country roughly 50 kms away from Syria. In that hospital, the seriousness of his injury was brought to his attention. Muhammed was told he was paralyzed from the waist down.
After initial treatments, Muhammed was given a wheelchair. Then, with the help of family members residing in Turkey, he travelled to Izmir to stay with his mother, father and siblings.
The Refugee Health Program improving lives in Turkey
In 2019, Muhammed’s life changed for the better. With the help of WHO Turkey’s Refugee Health Programme, Muhammed was able to access much-needed medical treatment for his paralysis as he reached out to the Refugee Health Training Centre (RHTC) in Izmir, run by the Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM), one of WHO’s project implementing partners.
Thanks to financial support provided by the Government of Germany through KfW Development Bank, WHO has been running a project entitled ‘Supporting the employment of Syrian personnel in the Turkish health system’ in close cooperation with the Turkish Ministry of Health. Within the scope of the project, WHO Turkey works with various implementing partners to employ Syrian health support staff who provide much-needed home care services to Syrians in their native language.
Initially, Muhammed was visited regularly at his home by a doctor and a social services expert from the Centre. Together, they evaluated his health condition and addressed any rights-based issues from a holistic perspective. This initial evaluation concluded the obvious: Muhammed was unable to visit the Centre in Izmir regularly, due to his condition. Therefore, a special Community Health Support Staff (CHSS) team was assigned to visit him regularly at his home, monitor his health and provide some basic services.
The CHSS provides a critical service within the Refugee Health Programme, reaching out to those Syrian refugees who are not able to access strategically located migrant health centres due to disability, advanced age, or other impediments.
From sitting up to first steps
In 2020, Muhammed became eligible for rehabilitation services under a new pilot project called the Active Life Centre (ALC) in Izmir, also funded by the Government of Germany through KfW. To make his commute to the ALC as smooth as possible, Muhammed was accompanied by Alaa Alkswani and Mustafa El Abdulkadir, two CHSS members who assisted with pick-ups and drop-offs using RHTC’s vehicle.
“At the beginning of our visits, Muhammed was simply laying in his bed, motionless, unable to turn or sit up by himself,” explain Alaa and Mustafa. “He often complained about how weak he was feeling every passing day.”
“But with the regular physiotherapy exercise sessions at the ALC, we noticed he was regaining strength. One day, he was able to turn and sit up when we entered his room. That moment was such a happy one, both for us and for him!”
Elif Canbolant, a physiotherapist at the ALC, points out the importance of the individually designed rehabilitation programme, which includes a focus on mental health. “With persistent exercise, Muhammed not only gained control of his muscles but also gained a lot of confidence. He pushed himself to take his first steps while holding on strongly to the parallel bars to steady himself.” This confidence boost led Muhammed to invest in his future by completing a Turkish language certificate program, soon earning a B1 level certificate.
Currently, more than 3.7 million Syrian refugees are under temporary protection living in Turkey. To provide primary health care to Syrians in their native language, and to ease the burden on the Turkish health system, the Ministry of Health and WHO Turkey’s Refugee Health Programme continue to train and employ Syrian health and home care staff.
WHO’s European Programme of Work (EPW) is at work
As part of WHO’s European Programme of Work (EPW) – ‘United Action for Better Health in Europe’, WHO/Europe’s Refugee Health Programme manages and responds to the health needs of refugees and migrants, with a focus on making health services people-centred and bringing these services to where they are needed in refugee communities.
Health ministers and representatives of the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region will meet at a high-level meeting in Istanbul in 2022 to discuss strategic priorities for migration and health beyond 2022. Find more information at the link below.