April 6, 2017
ANTAKYA, TURKEY: Mercy-USA for Aid and Development has just opened a Primary Healthcare Clinic to serve the medical and psycho-social needs of Syrians in the northern Syrian province of Idlib. Tuesday’s chemical attack on the town of Khan Shaykhun was just 21 miles from the Mercy-USA Primary Healthcare Clinic and has prompted an immediate effort to scale up emergency response equipment and medicines to respond to a potential chemical attack on the population around the clinic. The newly opened clinic is serving the healthcare needs of a population of at least 30,000 people, many of whom have not seen a doctor for years due to ravages of the war. “We are praying this area is not next on the list of targets, but if we are hit, we must be ready to offer this specialized emergency medical aid to the local population,” says Ryan Fahey, the Program & Communications Manager for Mercy-USA’s Syria Relief Program headquartered in Antakya Turkey.
The clinic offers a full suite of health care services including: pediatric and adult healthcare plus pre-and post-natal care for new mothers. Because many of the patients in the new clinic are displaced families from Aleppo and other high-casualty cities and towns, the clinic is offering psycho-social support for traumatized children and their families who have yet to process the terror they experienced. “Many families have just arrived to this area after escaping the horrific situation of barrel bombs and missile strikes in Aleppo, only to see the real possibility of a different kind of horror with chemical attacks,” says Umar Al-Qadi, President and CEO of Mercy-USA. “Despite this newest security threat, we are dedicated to offering the best emergency response possible while still caring for the basic healthcare needs of an already beleaguered population.”
It has become clear that agreements against the use of chemical weapons are not being upheld, and as a humanitarian organization, Mercy-USA is committing every resource they have at their disposal to be ready as emergency first responders.
For media inquiries, please contact Mercy-USA’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Kari Ansari at 703-628-0260, kansari@mercyusa.org