First day. We met Omar at 8:15 and he showed us how the Olive Grove Camp grew – now over 2000 refugees living in tents and tarps. Some have used wood pallets to make a floor and raise the tent above the water that floods each time it rains. They are preparing for the cold, winter in the tents now.
The African area still the same with over 100 men to a big tent. An NGO had come in and built a water trough – 8 faucets for 2000 people. There are a line of porta potties, some without doors. There was one shower I saw . . . though there must be more.
Then we go into the camp wires. The clinic consists of makeshift benches in a tarred waiting area. This is where triage happens. There are gates between waiting triage and a fence with gates surrounding the tarps. A small, 3 room building is where doctors see patients. It is well organized, but has limited supplies, limited referrals and sick people. There are medical people from Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, and the US. Providers come and go. We arrive with 2 others on their first day while several people are leaving this week.
Inside the camp is just unimaginable: crowded, piles of bagged garbage, many police at every gate, police everywhere, but it does not make me feel safe. Hadi, the medical coordinator, gave us the tour. He brought us to the other medical clinic and down to meet Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). We went over emergency procedures. There was only one senior doctor today, who was sick, our doctors, a nurse practitioner and a new doctor, starting from Portugal so Georgia and Leslie got thrown into seeing patients. I worked on the schedule with the coordinator. We are planning to do 2 shifts. Scott, our security person, will work with the evening shift. We are not going to do the mobile van, at least not yet. We start full time tomorrow.
We did go and visit happy family NGO. Wow it has grown and provides so many great services.
