Policy dialogue at AUB to curb mortality rates among refugees

The Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the AUB, organized jointly with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) a Policy Dialogue in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to tackle the issue of preventable preterm deliveries among Syrian refugee women in Lebanon. UNHCR representative, Michael Woodman, said that the primary cause of deaths among Syrian refugees is due to complications with newborns, noting that there is a pressing need to take evidence-informed decisions with the partners to address the situation. For his part, the director of the Center, Fadi Jardali, pointed out that the current conditions are putting heavy burden on Syrian refugees and on the local healthcare system. “Presenting the refugee plan to Brussels Conference on Syria is very important in order to engage the international community,” Jaradli said, hoping the outcomes will not be limited to financial support but extend to sharing the burden and political commitment to resolve the crisis. Dialogue participants highlighted factors that should be taken into consideration to reduce preterm deliveries, like for example the educational background, and agreed to set future plans to be adopted by the Lebanese health ministry and concerned UN agencies and NGOs. The director general of the ministry, Walid Ammar, said the dialogue succeeded in linking evidence, scientific data and the feasibility of application on the ground in Lebanon. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Hayat, April 7, 2017)