International Medical Corps and Syrian Arab Red Crescent Open Clinic in Syria

Photo: International Medical Corps

Iraqis and Syrians will receive high quality basic health care at El Sayeda Zainab Clinic, one of the few providing services for the poorest and most vulnerable.

Damascus/Syria, Los Angeles/US - International Medical Corps (IMC) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society (SARC), opened a jointly operated clinic in Damascus. The El Sayeda Zainab Clinic is one of a few clinics that will treat displaced Iraqis and Syrians in need of accessible and high quality basic health care.

Six doctors including an internist, ear, nose, and throat specialist, ophthalmologist, , pediatrician, gynecologist, and a dentist are expected to see at least 60 patients per day providing comprehensive and preventive health care. The number of patients is likely to increase due to a limited number of clinics available to this population. It has a fully equipped laboratory and the medical team is supported by a health educator, four nurses, and a lab technician.

“We are extremely pleased about the opening of this clinic,” says Hussien Ibrahim, International Medical Corps country director in Syria. “Together with our local partners we will be able to reach a population whose health is suffering due to their limited resources and current status.”

International Medical Corps will soon operate a clinic in Jaramana and establish another clinic in Masarken Barza, both rural Damascus neighborhoods with a large proportion of Iraqis. IMC is also hoping to sponsor mental health training for other clinic staff. The program would include three medical and psychosocial mobile units reaching out to communities and schools in areas where many Iraqis live.

Photo: International Medical Corps

Dr Abdul Rahman Attar, President of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society and Hussien Ibrahim, International Medical Corps Country Director in Syria, at the clinic opening.

International Medical Corps is one of the first U.S.-based organizations registered in Syria. As part of a regional approach to address the needs of millions of displaced Iraqis and host communities, IMC runs similar programs in Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. Once fully established, the Syrian program will directly assist almost 70,000 people and deliver appropriate health care to Iraqis and Syrians. The majority of beneficiaries are women and children.

To ensure sustainability, International Medical Corps is working with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society (SARC). Activities will focus on the provision of comprehensive primary health care, with a focus on child health screening, care for chronic non-communicable diseases, maternal health, and health education in clinics.

International Medical Corps is a global humanitarian, non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through the delivery of appropriate environmental, medical and mental health care services and capacity building within disaster-affected communities. It is IMC's mission to improve the quality of life through appropriate health interventions, and related activities that increase local capacity and that are sustainable.