Virtual session highlights COVID’s impact on healthcare services for refugees

AMMAN — An online session on Wednesday titled “The Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Services Provided to Refugees”, brought attention to various aspects of refugee health.

The session, organised by Solidarity Is Global Institute (SIGI), a local women’s NGO, placed particular emphasis on the pandemic’s impact on refugees’ access to healthcare services in Jordan.

The session was held as part of its weekly cultural evening focusing on the economic empowerment of Jordanian and refugee women and organised on the occasion of World Health Day, marked annually on April 7.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on all people in the Kingdom, not only refugees,” said Bassam Hijawi, a member of the National Epidemiological Committee.

“The pandemic continues to cast a shadow on the entire world, but the epidemiological situation differs from one country to another,” Hijawi added. 

He noted that the third and fourth waves of the pandemic, which started in October, last year, lasted for five months and significantly impacted Jordan.

Jordan does not discriminate between Jordanians and non-Jordanians in health service delivery, according to Hijawi.

During the pandemic, “healthcare services have been provided to all parts of society without fail”, he said. Today, 74 per cent of people residing in Jordan, including refugees, have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, he added. 

“Vaccination is a priority in enhancing access to healthcare service for refugees,” he highlighted.

Talking about the impact of the pandemic on mental health, psychologist Osam Bani Hamad said that refugees, in particular, have experienced high levels of challenges and hardships due to their difficult circumstances.

Refugees have specific physical and mental health needs and vulnerabilities, Bani Hamad said, adding that the crisis increased domestic violence and women were the ones mostly affected by it.

“Refugees, particularly refugee women, face additional barriers and challenges because they belong to marginalised groups,” said Maali Nueimat, a representative of the Jordanian National Commission for Women.

She pointed out the importance of strengthening institutional and governmental resources, in order to widen the scope of women’s health services in Jordan.

There are many factors affecting refugee women’s health, including health literacy, in addition to facing cultural, financial and social barriers.

On World Health Day 2022, the World Health Organisation (WHO) will focus global attention on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy, and foster a movement to create societies focused on well-being.