Ignored by world | Baby girl “Yaqeen” dies of inadequate health care in besieged Al-Rukban camp

SOHR activists have reported that a nine-month-old girl Yaqeen Issa Al-Salama died in Al-Rukban camp after struggling with illness from birth, and after her family failed to get her out of the camp for treatment.

The displaced baby girl “Yaqeen” was born with an opening (a cleft) in the roof of the mouth and a short tongue, suffered difficulty with feeding and swallowing and other health problems and lack of oxygen.

This morning, the baby died after being taken yesterday to clinic as her health worsened.

Many social media and websites have shared the story of the baby girl “Yaqeen” over the past two months, hoping to find solutions to get her out of besiged Al-rukban camp for treatment, but the baby girl died of neglecting her case by Jordanian government, the Syrian regime government and the Syrian interim government who lifted no finger to save the baby life.

On October 16, SOHR activists reported that the inhabitants of Al-Rukban camp are struggling with tragic humanitarian situation at all levels, mainly the very poor healthcare, in light of the suspension of support by international authorities and ongoing inaction by organisations operating in Syria.

60 percent of the camp’s inhabitants are children, and they suffer from poor healthcare. There are only two medical posts in the Al-Rukban camp which hosts 7,000 to 8,000 displaced people, mostly from Homs; and they are as follows:

• The first post is called “Sham,” and it is more akin to a small dispensary which does not suit emergency cases. The post is run by a group of nurses and poorly qualified trainers. The post lacks a qualified and specialist medical staff and many medical equipments. The post lacks echocardiography and electrocardiography machines and other equipments in the dental clinic.

• The second post is the maternity post, and it is run by two midwives. The post is provided with only one echocardiography machine. However, the post lacks the basic standards, measures and conditions needed for new-born nursery.

SOHR activists have confirmed that there are patients with chronic diseases, who get no medical care because of the disastrous conditions in the camp.

Furthermore, patients in Al-Rukban camp struggle with the acute shortage of medicines, although there are over 250 people in the camp suffer from chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, epilepsy and Asthma.

According to SOHR sources, regime forces and their proxy militias besieging the camp have not prevented the entry of medicines to the camp. However, they impose large levies on trucks transporting supplies to the camp; this, in turn, has raised the prices of medicines to a level unaffordable by many, especially with the extreme poverty of the camp’s inhabitants.

Other factors also contribute to increasing the number of patients in the camp, including the dreadful living conditions, lack of health food, especially for children and elderly people, shortage of clean water, lack of hygiene and lack of well-functioning sewer systems and sanitation.