Participants tackle problems of meeting physical and mental health needs of the aged in Lebanon's Palestinian camps BEIRUT (The Daily Star), June 23, 2005:
Doctors, UN workers, and representatives of non-governmental organizations held a conference to discuss the plight of elderly Palestinians in Lebanese refugee camps.
The meeting was titled "Improving Services for Elderly Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon," and was organized by Caritas Austria, the charitable organization of the Austrian conference of Catholic bishops, as well as by Caritas Lebanon and the Women's Humanitarian Organization.
The participants - from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the Palestinian Red Crescent and Handicap International, among other groups - tried to come up with solutions to problems faced by elderly Palestinian refugees, particularly mental and physical health issues.
One problem discussed was the lack of information sharing between organizations that provide medical services to Palestinians in Lebanon. Often there is no communication between various clinics that serve Palestinians, which can result in patients receiving inadequate treatment or being prescribed medication they are already taking.
Jim Kelly, project director at Caritas Austria, told The Daily Star his organization had helped contribute to a pilot project in one of the country's refugee camps in which all medical files were standardized. Although NGOs lack the UN's resources, Kelly said they "can complement the work UNRWA does. One advantage small organizations have is that they can innovate. And maybe if we innovate, UNRWA will decide to use our idea."
The debate concerning the quality of the healthcare services UNRWA provided was particularly heated. Some attendees told stories of elderly Palestinians they knew who had difficulty affording or finding the medications they needed. Others criticized the lack of beds in UNRWA clinics.
In response, Dr. Hasan Eyadeh of UNRWA said: "I need facts; I need figures. I can't address accusations without evidence." Eyadeh, who because of UNRWA regulations could not grant an interview, said UNRWA was doing its best with limited resources, and that his organization tried to make sure it provided the most essential medications. While she said she learned a lot from the conference, Wafa Ahmad of Association Najdeh - an NGO that focuses on the education of Palestinian women - said "our relationship with the elderly must be strengthened. It's not enough to do conferences. We have to work on the ground." The conference continues today.
In the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, located just outside of the southern port town of Sidon, elderly residents highlighted their sometimes dire situation. Palestinian Hajj Ahmad Fadl, 90, said he was waiting for death. "We were promised to return to Palestine, but we did not," he added. Taking off his thick eye-glasses, Fadl slammed humanitarian associations. "Where are the rights of the elderly?" he asked, calling on charities to construct a "village" inside the refugee camp that would provide necessary services for the elderly.
Hajje Hind Dalati, 85, said: "It does not matter who provides the assistance, what is important is to live the rest of our days with dignity." She noted the need for hearing devices, canes, walkers and stretchers as well as entertainment programs.
Hajj Hammoud al-Assadi, 77, decried the misery in which Palestinian refugees, particularly the elderly, live. By Daniel Epps Copyright (c) 2005 The Daily Star
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