“We have come to Rukban Camp in the framework of a medical campaign in coordination with the Syrian emergency doctors’ team and Global Justice. We aim to provide medical assistance to the people of Rukban,” Tamim Jiben, one of the volunteering doctors, told Rudaw on Thursday.
“Nearly 8,000 people are deprived of all medical aid, especially when it comes to dental treatment and availability of medicine. We call on everyone to provide aid,” he added.
The camp is located in Tanf which is controlled by a US-allied Syrian opposition group. The area is besieged by the Syrian regime and the only way for the aid to arrive at the camp is through Iraq and Jordan.
Rami Kilzi is another doctor who visited the camp last week.
“This region is really safe but it lacks all basic services. It also needs aid from all fields, including medical ones. During the days I stayed here, I saw hundreds of cases and tens of them required surgeries,” he said.
The camp was established in 2015. Initially, it housed over 100,000 IDPs but now there are around 8,000 people - mostly from Homs, Deir ez-Zor, Aleppo and Hama provinces.
Bakir Ghbeis, another doctor who visited the camp, said in a post on X last week that the medical condition of the camp is “terrible.”
“As a pediatrician and critical care specialist I witnessed profound lack of resources and supplies, including vaccines and sanitation measures,” he said.
Hussein Omar contributed to this article.
