Published : 01-08-2020
Residents of Khan Dannun Camp, in Rif Dimashq, have spoken out against the mistreatment they have been subjected to by staff members at a UNRWA-run clinic in the camp.
Local activists have urged the UN refugee agency, the General Authority for Palestinian Arab Refugees, and all other concerned authorities to take immediate action in response to the mistreatment they have been facing at the UNRWA clinic.
A number of residents leveled heavy criticism at the dentist working in the clinic, saying he has been mistreating patients showing up at the facility.
In a statement emailed to AGPS, the residents slammed the medical staff at the clinic for their apathy regarding the appeals of a number of patients for much-needed treatment and medicines, along with psychological support.
Living conditions in Khan Dannun have sharply deteriorated due to the lack of financial resources and high unemployment rates wrought by the unbridled warfare.
According to UN data, Khan Dannun camp was built several centuries ago to give overnight accommodation to trading caravans on the ancient route between Jerusalem and Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). In 1948, the ruins of the city provided shelter for refugees from villages in northern Palestine.
The camp, which lies 23 km south of Damascus, was officially established in 1950-1951 on an area of 0.03 square kilometers. The camp was home to 10,000 Palestine refugees by 2011, almost all of whom were living in irregular housing, constructed without any formal approval from the municipality.
Before the conflict in Syria, the camp was already one of the poorest camps in Syria. The conflict exerted additional pressures. The camp was surrounded by armed opposition groups and many refugee families displaced from other areas of Damascus took refuge in the camp, tripling the number of residents to some 30,000 during the crisis. Currently, the camp is home to 12,650 Palestine refugees. The increase of the camp population has had a negative impact on the camp’s infrastructure.
Residents of Khan Dannun Camp, in Rif Dimashq, have spoken out against the mistreatment they have been subjected to by staff members at a UNRWA-run clinic in the camp.
Local activists have urged the UN refugee agency, the General Authority for Palestinian Arab Refugees, and all other concerned authorities to take immediate action in response to the mistreatment they have been facing at the UNRWA clinic.
A number of residents leveled heavy criticism at the dentist working in the clinic, saying he has been mistreating patients showing up at the facility.
In a statement emailed to AGPS, the residents slammed the medical staff at the clinic for their apathy regarding the appeals of a number of patients for much-needed treatment and medicines, along with psychological support.
Living conditions in Khan Dannun have sharply deteriorated due to the lack of financial resources and high unemployment rates wrought by the unbridled warfare.
According to UN data, Khan Dannun camp was built several centuries ago to give overnight accommodation to trading caravans on the ancient route between Jerusalem and Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). In 1948, the ruins of the city provided shelter for refugees from villages in northern Palestine.
The camp, which lies 23 km south of Damascus, was officially established in 1950-1951 on an area of 0.03 square kilometers. The camp was home to 10,000 Palestine refugees by 2011, almost all of whom were living in irregular housing, constructed without any formal approval from the municipality.
Before the conflict in Syria, the camp was already one of the poorest camps in Syria. The conflict exerted additional pressures. The camp was surrounded by armed opposition groups and many refugee families displaced from other areas of Damascus took refuge in the camp, tripling the number of residents to some 30,000 during the crisis. Currently, the camp is home to 12,650 Palestine refugees. The increase of the camp population has had a negative impact on the camp’s infrastructure.
