For many refugees who have fled from war-torn Syria to Turkey, the European Union-funded Refugee Health Training Centres remain a vital access point to primary health care. But the Centres saw a notable decline in visitors when preventive measures against COVID-19 were enforced throughout the country.
Faced with an unprecedented challenge, the Istanbul Centre quickly came up with an innovative solution: if the beneficiaries were not able to reach the services, the services would simply have to come to them.
Rafa’s story
“With the spread of the virus, we could see that the constant media coverage and the curfews triggered the need for psychosocial support for the Syrian refugee population,” says Pelşin Ülgen, a psychosocial services expert from the Istanbul Centre.
“The effects of the pandemic on social life and the economy cause uncertainty, which manifests as tension and anxiety among the refugee community. We know that refugee populations are very vulnerable, and we needed to make our psychosocial health services available to them while at the same time respecting COVID-19 measures set in place by the Government.”
The first online, individual session for psychosocial health support was arranged for 16-year-old Rafa, who was suffering from trichotillomania, also known as hair-pulling disorder.
“In the beginning, I had doubts whether an online session could be as helpful as meeting my patient face-to-face,” says Pelşin. “But as our online sessions progressed, it was clear that an interruption would have backfired and that the sessions, even online, provided much-needed support.”
The online sessions also provided an opportunity to connect with family members to give them guidance on care and make them aware of signs to look out for in Rafa’s condition.
“Before the online sessions, I was having difficulties sleeping. I missed my classes and was feeling stressed about schools being closed and me being stuck at home without any social life,” Rafa explains. “I hadn’t realized I had become so stressed. I was arguing with my parents a lot, and even with my friends when talking to them over the phone.”
With regular online sessions with the Centre once a week, Rafa was soon doing better. “I understand the situation better now and can see I’m not alone with my feelings. I came to terms with the circumstances we all face because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she says. Rafa now sleeps better, has taken up reading and even exercises when she has a chance.
Cooperation for targeted and tailored support
The project “Improved access to health services for Syrian refugees in Turkey” and its Refugee Health Training Centres are operated by the WHO Country Office in Turkey together with the Turkish Ministry of Health. They provide primary health care services in 7 provinces.
The project supports national health services by increasing the capacity of Syrian health staff and providing high-quality, affordable and culturally sensitive health services to Syrian refugees and impacted host communities in Turkey. It has supported its beneficiaries in many ways, including by:
- providing 42 812 people with free-of-charge psychosocial services;
- providing training to 173 doctors, 110 nurses and 606 bilingual patient guides;
- providing mental health and psychosocial support services training to 402 Syrian and Turkish doctors who are now certified to practise; and
- employing 126 facility health support staff to support the provision of health services, including psychosocial counselling, to Syrian refugees in Ankara, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin and Sanliurfa provinces.