Frontline Hero: Dr. Ayman, Rafah
Blog by Dalia, UNRWA Health Staff
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When the UNRWA Tal al-Sultan Health Centre in Rafah closed at the start of the war, Dr. Ayman, the Centre’s deputy medical officer, decided to volunteer with the local emergency operations team to implement its health plan.
Within three days of the start of hostilities, the Tel al-Sultan Health Centre reopened to serve the community. It had a skeleton crew of five staff members. Soon that increased to 45. The dedicated team provided approximately 1,500 medical consultations a day, almost double the daily average before the war began.
"Good communication with the local community enabled us to overcome many difficulties. I coordinated with the local government clinic to source medications whenever there was a shortage. I also coordinated with municipalities and the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility to provide clean water to the Health Centre and garbage containers around the Health Centre for the many displaced citizens living in tents,” recounted Dr. Ayman. His skilled coordination enabled the team to maximize efficiencies and serve the community in its time of increased need.
The Tel al-Sultan health point in Rafah is one of seven UNRWA health centres (out of a total of 22) that are still operational in the middle and southern areas of the Gaza Strip, attending to thousands of patients every day.
Dr. Ayman also created a health point at the UNRWA Rafah Logistics Base, which shelters tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs), providing a reduced range of health-care services This has helped to decrease the patient load on the Tal al-Sultan Health Centre. He also provided treatment for patients with chronic diseases across the entire Rafah governorate.
Dr. Ayman’s is one of 89 UNRWA health teams continuing to provide health care to tens of thousands of IDPs every day.
UNRWA acknowledges and honours its health programme staff and values the service and dedication of staff like Dr. Ayman and his medical team, who continue to serve IDPs amid the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
