Medicine, Hopscotch, and Hope for Syrian Refugees

​BY MECCA MADHUN, DO, & SHAZA AOUTHMANY, MDWe pulled up to the northern Lebanese-Syrian border after a two-and-a-half-hour ride from Beirut across bumpy dirt roads, and heard little voices singing, “Ahlan bil, dakatra!” (Welcome, doctors!)We were dressed in our Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) vests with stethoscopes around our necks, and made our way to the clinic, long alleys of white tarps covering tin walls and ceilings. It was barren and dark; we left the door open and set up our clinic space near the light from the door. We had six plastic chairs, a small plastic side table, an otoscope, alcohol pads, a thermometer, and a stack of blank paper to act as prescription pads.Children started streaming in. Each family had anywhere from two to 10 kids. Some said there was something wrong just so they could visit us for the day. Other kids needed some ibuprofen to get them through the upper respiratory infection season.Between the URIs and coughs, we saw a 12-year-old girl who complained of hand dryness. Her fingertips were peeling extensively, and she had blisters on her palms. She said her hands bled most of the time. She said she worked to help provide for her family. Every day she would move wood from one place to another. She sometimes wore gloves, though at times there weren't enough for all of the workers. We applied bacitracin, wrapped open wounds, and prescribed lotion for long-term use. She was so thankful that she gave us hugs.We saw more than 135 chi...
Source: Going Global - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs