Hama is the fourth most populous city in Syria. The destruction of the war did not arrive here, but its consequences did: having not suffered structural damage, many displaced people took refuge in this area, increasing the pressure on services and unemployment. Furthermore, precisely because there was no major damage to homes and structures, this area did not receive much aid from aid organizations.
Last October, thanks to the experience gained in Homs and Kafarbo , we decided to open a medical center within the “ Seeds of Hope ” program also in Hama* , aimed at people with cancer and those who need dialysis. Treatments for these diseases are increasingly rare and expensive due to international sanctions and the general increase in prices throughout the country. The population, victim of the severe economic crisis that often does not even allow them to satisfy their primary needs, is forced to interrupt treatment or replace necessary drugs with other, less effective ones. For this reason, the news of the opening of the center was accompanied by the support of the entire community , which provided concrete help and encouraged the operators. Already during the setting up of the center, for example, one of the suppliers wanted to donate a battery charger for the machines and a lift for free when he understood what type of project we were going to start. The pharmacy also contributed with a 15% discount on the first orders of medicines, while some doctors offered the services with significant discounts. In Hama there are not many centers that offer medical services, especially for cancer treatment and dialysis. This meant that news of the center spread throughout the city right away and that from the first day, more patients than expected came to ask for help. Fawaz, logistics manager for the medical project in Hama, says: “When we started working we didn’t imagine that there were so many cancer patients.” In addition to the financial support to pay for treatment, however, in Hama as in the other medical centers of the “Seeds of Hope” program, the aspect that most affects and helps the patients is the attention to their emotional state. Here too, we have heard stories of people who, due to their illness and the difficulty of getting treatment, were giving in to mistrust and loneliness. For this reason, the program provides that in addition to the provision of care and therapies, each protagonist also receives periodic visits and phone calls to find out about their mood, their feelings and to try to alleviate psychological suffering. *The Hama medical center is also supported with contributions from UBI – Unione Buddhista italiana
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