11-03-2021
WHO
In January 2018, the WHO Country Office in Turkey launched the project “Supporting the employment of Syrian personnel in the Turkish health system”. In the past 2 years, 671 Syrian staff have been recruited in cooperation with Turkey’s Ministry of Health, and have completed all necessary training for the provision of home care.
The objective of the project is to further improve the service provided to Syrian refugees, by improving the quality of primary health care, and increasing staff capability, capacity and efficiency. Busra Alomairy and Fatma Haskilo are 2 of the team members who provide much-needed services to underserved and vulnerable refugee populations, such as the elderly and disabled, within the scope of the project.
29-01-2021
WHO
Sabiha Zekeriya, a member of the Community Health Support Staff (CHSS) team at the Hatay Refugee Health Training Centre
Sabiha Zekeriya knows all too well that life can change in an instant. Just a decade ago, the future was looking bright for both her and her husband. She was a biology student at the University of Idlib, while he was a law graduate who followed his passion to teach art. When war erupted, their lives were turned upside down. Like so many other Syrians, the young couple fled to Turkey.
“When we first came to Turkey, we experienced a lot of financial hardship and could only afford to live in a squat house, far away from the city,” Sabiha explains. “I was constantly worried about the condition of our house because it was very dangerous and unhealthy for our newborn baby.”
14-01-2021
Mohamad Alhayek
Just over a decade ago, Mohamad Yumn Alhayek’s plans for the future seemed clear-cut: graduate from the University of Aleppo as a trained physiotherapist; find a job; start a family. But the war that erupted in 2011 turned his life and the lives of millions of other Syrians upside down.
Mohamad did indeed graduate from university but was forced to flee and build a new life from scratch. He found refuge and safety in Turkey, and managed to obtain a work permit. Today Mohamad is employed by the Refugee Health Training Centre in Kucukcekmece, Istanbul, which provides primary health services to Syrian refugees in Turkey.