IRC opens medical clinics to support Syrian refugees

Almost all Syrian refugees in Jordan are currently living in urban areas, clustered near the border.

Photo: Ned Colt/IRC

International Rescue Committee medical teams are now treating patients at two clinics serving Syrian refugees in Jordan.  The IRC has expanded aid efforts in Jordan following an influx of tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing fighting at home in the past year. The clinics offer primary health care and medication to Syrians, most of whom have no money to pay for medical support. Those in need of surgery and more complex care are being referred to Jordanian government hospitals.

The two new clinics are in the Jordanian border cities of Ramtha and Mafraq, an area where the majority of Syrian refugees in Jordan have settled.  IRC emergency coordinator Tom McNelly, speaking from an IRC satellite office in northern Jordan, said: “We’ve been planning this for weeks, and it shows. All is proceeding flawlessly — and our entire team is absolutely thrilled to see the impact we are already having.” 

The IRC is also continuing to provide other types of aid to Syrian refugees, whose estimated numbers in Jordan range from 30,000 to more than 100,000. This week an IRC team delivered sleeping mats and other items to refugees at a camp near the border; like most refugees, they fled Syria with almost nothing.

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