Suhair's, Taiseer's and Aroub's stories

Three patients talk about their treatment at Caritas health clinics in Jordan.

There are close to one million refugees living in Jordan, mostly from Syria. The majority live below the poverty line, and many do not have the opportunity to go to the doctor. For many years, Caritas Denmark has collaborated with Caritas Jordan on humanitarian efforts for the most vulnerable population groups in Jordan. From the very beginning, a special focus has been to ensure access to healthcare. One of the ways we have done this is by investing in the health clinics that Caritas Jordan runs around the country. Here, Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians are seen by nurses, nutritionists and doctors who ask about their entire life situation.

28-year-old Suhair is a mother of four. In the summer of 2023, she gave birth to her youngest daughter at one of the hospitals that Caritas Jordan works with. Here she is being interviewed by Tess Thurøe, Caritas Denmark's program coordinator for Jordan

28-year-old Suhair is one of those who has been happy to come to the Caritas health clinics. She fled from Syria to Jordan in 2012 and is a mother of four, two boys and two girls. In the summer of 2023, she gave birth to her youngest daughter at one of the hospitals that Caritas Jordan works with. "It was a nice atmosphere, and the people were nice," she says. "It was completely different from my previous birth, where I was in a hospital with poor sanitation and where patients were neglected."
During her pregnancy, Suhair had her blood sugar and blood pressure measured and received dietary guidance from the health professionals at the clinics. After giving birth, she was also instructed in various breastfeeding techniques.

Taiseer, 56, a diabetic patient, has started to think more about what he eats after being guided by Caritas healthcare professionals.

Taiseer, 56, is also happy with the treatment at Caritas health clinics. A few years after he arrived in Jordan from Syria with his family in 2013, he was diagnosed with diabetes. Among other things, the disease has manifested itself in severe visual disturbances, which has meant that he has had to give up his job as a tailor. For the last three to four years, he has been a regular patient at the Caritas health clinics. What is important to him is not just the medication he takes, but also the general health advice he receives. "I used to eat without thinking about the consequences and was often tired and unwell. But after I was advised to cut down on my intake of fatty and sugary foods, I feel much more energetic," he says.

"It was a dream come true when I became a volunteer in Caritas health clinics," says 55-year-old Aroub, whose responsibilities include calling patients to check if they are taking their medication.

55-year-old Aroub, who is from Jordan, is also a diabetic, but suffers from a number of other chronic diseases that she receives treatment for at the clinics, including asthma and rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune and inflammatory disease). For the past three years, she has also taken on a volunteer role, entering patient information into a database system, and offering advice on nutrition and physical activity. She also makes sure to call patients to see if everything is going well and if they remember to take their medication.
And of course, she encourages everyone to take part in the walking clubs that the health clinic volunteers have set up. "It is reassuring to know that people's lives change after they have been here," she says.