There are more than 400000 refugees living in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. The majority of this population suffers from dire economic and environmental living conditions. Although it is well known that poor living conditions and economic hardship does have a negative affect on nutrition and growth rate in children, there has not been any attempt to investigate the growth and nutritional status of children living in these camps.
During NAAMA’s international conventi on in Beirut, the Michigan Chapter in partnership with ACCESS Health and Research Center conducted a pilot study to establish baseline anthropometric measurements of children living in 4 different refugee camps. The aim was to generate enough data points to use as a foundation for more comprehensive studies in the future.
Drs. Mouhanad Hammami and Adnan Hammad arranged through non-government organizations to visit 4 refugee camps in Beirut, Tyre and Sidon where measurements of 350 children living in camps were assessed. This pilot study evolved to become a comprehensive clinical intervention when some NAAMA physicians and medical students volunteered to accompany the investigators and perform clinical examinations of these children. Pediatricians from NAAMA screened and treated more than 300 children that were brought by their pare nts to clinics.
This came as a compliment to another initiative by NAAMA’s Palestine liaison committee led by Drs. Eid Mustafa and Khaled Attaya to perform surgical interventions on Palestinian patients. Surgeons from NAAMA treated several cases at the Red Crescent Hospital in Sidon ranging from reconstructive surgery on severely burned patients to congenital anomalies.
We hope that with the success of these efforts, more funds can be raised and allocated for future interventions that will help alleviate the health status of this forgotten population.
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