This was the day A World Without Barriers’ HCP/Medics team were leaving for Karbala. However instead of taking the route directly to Karbala, we would be stopping over at a refugee camp in Haidariyya to provide aid such as clothes and toys as well as medical aid. I genuinely did not know what to expect. All we knew was that these were regular people like you and me who had been forced into a situation where they had to accept aid from us. That can never be easy for anyone!
When we got to Haidariyya there was a large crowd of people waiting, and we were ushered to a room where we were given some drinks and a brief introduction. The medical teams were then sent off to the rooms where we would be treating the patients. Nothing could prepare us for the scene outside. There were crowds and crowds of people desperately wanting to see us!
Haidariyya was probably one of the hardest places we visited. We said that we would initially try and treat the children and serious cases first. The conditions we came across here seemed so much more different than the ones we had seen in Najaf. Again, we divided ourselves into teams that included, a doctor, pharmacist and translator. We had a table set out for the medication.
One of the most heartbreaking parts of this day was seeing cerebral palsy cases. This is a condition which is hard enough to have in the UK let alone in Iraq with limited resources. To have to tell the family that there is no treatment for the condition is very hard. A lot of these patients may have come to the clinics somehow hoping for a cure but unfortunately sometimes this is not possible. One boy had a severe case of CP. His mum had to carry him in. His arms and legs were twisted. The only way he could drink the Fortisip we gave him was by lapping it up with his tongue. It was really hard to watch and at times I felt a bit helpless. Since then we have managed to get him a wheelchair which will hopefully help somewhat.
Surrounded by an amazing healthcare team I have learnt an awful lot! We had a woman who collapsed after having a fit. After checking her blood pressure, glucose etc and ensuring she was safe, the doctors realised that this was a pseudo fit which was psychological, occurring at times after the death of her father. Again something which perhaps would not get solved without psychological treatment. We also saw a child who had a cleft lip as well as other complications, a family who suffered from dwarfism and other cases such as heart murmurs. We also saw relatively minor cases such as muscular pains, hypoglycemia collapses and skin conditions. Some of these cases were extremely difficult to witness and we hope to raise money for some of them to be able to get treatment, or at least aid, to make their life slightly easier. Full respect to the whole healthcare team for seeing so many patients (hundreds) in the space of just a few hours. I just wish we could do more.
The day had been quite mentally and physically exhausting! We returned to the first room to help give distribute aid. There was a sense of desperation at times as you saw the refugees try and take what they could. The grateful looks and smiles made it all worthwhile! Before we left we went to see some of the new houses and gardens which had been built for the refugees, where some of your donations have gone towards, to try and build a better life for these people! On we went to Karbala.
By Zainab W
April 2016
