Aburas Rahma, Najeeb Amina, Baageel Laila, Mackey Tim K
Joint Masters Degree Program in Health Policy and Law, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States.
Brotherhood Medical Center for Women and Children, Atimah, Syria.
Front Public Health. 2018 Apr 18;6:108. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2018.00108. eCollection 2018.
The United Nations has declared the Syrian conflict, with more than 50% of Syria's population currently displaced, as the worst humanitarian crisis of the twenty-first century. The Syrian conflict has led to a collapse of infrastructure, including access to critical and lifesaving healthcare services. Women and children account for approximately 75% of internally displaced Syrians and refugees. This population is also particularly vulnerable to poor health outcomes, a condition worsened by lack of access to maternal and child health services. In response to this crisis, a partnership of Saudi and Syrian physicians established a non-profit healthcare facility named the Brotherhood Medical Center (BMC) to serve women and children within a safe area near the Syrian-Turkish border. The project began in September 2014 and was implemented in three phases of establishment, phased construction and formal launch and operation. Currently, the BMC is working at about 70% of its capacity and is run in partnership with the Syrian Expatriate Medical Association. Although there was strong initial support from donors, the BMC continues to face many financial and operational challenges, including difficulties in transferring money to Syria, shortage of medical supplies, and lack of qualified medical personnel. Despite these challenges, the BMC represents a critical model and an important case study of the challenges of delivering healthcare services to underserved populations during an ongoing conflict. However, more robust support from the international community is needed to ensure it continues its important health and humanitarian mission.
联合国宣布，叙利亚冲突已成为21世纪最严重的人道主义危机，目前叙利亚超过50%的人口流离失所。叙利亚冲突导致基础设施崩溃，包括获得关键和救生医疗服务的渠道。妇女和儿童约占叙利亚境内流离失所者和难民的75%。这一人群也特别容易出现健康状况不佳的情况，由于无法获得孕产妇和儿童保健服务，这种情况更加恶化。为应对这一危机，沙特和叙利亚医生建立了一个名为兄弟会医疗中心（BMC）的非营利性医疗设施，为叙利亚-土耳其边境附近安全地区的妇女和儿童提供服务。该项目于2014年9月启动，分三个阶段实施，即设立阶段、分阶段建设阶段以及正式启动和运营阶段。目前，BMC的运营能力约为70%，并与叙利亚侨民医学协会合作运营。尽管初期得到了捐助者的大力支持，但BMC仍面临许多财务和运营挑战，包括向叙利亚汇款困难、医疗用品短缺以及缺乏合格的医务人员。尽管面临这些挑战，BMC仍是一个关键模式，也是在持续冲突期间为服务不足人群提供医疗服务所面临挑战的一个重要案例研究。然而，需要国际社会提供更有力的支持，以确保它继续其重要的卫生和人道主义使命。
