Bratislava, 18th March 2016 – Because of Balkan route blockings, MAGNA moves its activities from the transit camp in Slavonski Brod in Croatia to the areas in Syria and closer to the syrian boarders – where fleeing people from the war zones have currently no access to the primary health care. In forthcoming weeks MAGNA is going to open a long-term mission in Lebanon to cover health care in Syria, Lebanon and later on in Jordan and directly in Turkey. „We are watching today´s meeting of the EU and Turkey with expectations. Reached or failured agreements will significantly affect Syrian refugees. We support the common agreement which will improve the conditions of fleeing people. In any case we see the acute need to help and provide medical aid closer to the war conflict,“ says Martin Bandžák on behalf of EU Summit.
Since the outbreak of the migration crisis MAGNA has been providing health care to children and their families on the run at first on the serbian-hungarian boarder. In September the mission was built in Croatia in the camps Opatovac and later in Slavonski Brod. Over more than six months MAGNA has provided health care to more than 600.000 refugees who have passed through Croatia. MAGNA medical team has treated more than 40.000 people, mainly children. Besides the primary health care, particularly pediatric care MAGNA provided psychosocial support and has secured the nutrition for young children.
„Our mission in Croatia was possible just thanks to dozens of enthusiastic medical staff and volunteers from Slovakia, Czech Republic and other countries. MAGNA medical team worked in the field 24/7, during holidays providing medical aid to displaced people. I would like to thank everyone for a great job and also for empathy everybody showed to fleeing people,“ said Martin Bandžák, MAGNA executive director. „MAGNA operation in Hungary and later on in Croatia was built immediately after the outbreak of the humanitarian crisis at site in greatest need. It fulfilled its purpose and it was succesful. The mission in Slavonski Brod is suspended for the moment and MAGNA moves to the areas, where we identified the biggest need of the long-term health care. MAGNA moves to Syrian boarders with the greatest brunt where the need of interaction is the highest.“
In Syria 45 % of the population have left their homes and 11,5 % of people have been killed or injured. Life expectancy has dropped from 70 in 2010 to 55,4 in 2015. Poverty increased by 85 % in 2015 alone. These are the outcomes of the war in Syria since the outbreak 5 years ago according to the Syrian Centre for Policy Research. There is more than one million of Syrian refugees in Lebanon today, that is one third of the whole population. In Jordan it is almost 700.000 people. More than half of all escaping people which means 2,7 milion fled to Turkey. In forthcoming weeks MAGNA in cooperation with syrian doctors will ensure mobile health teams directly in Syria. MAGNA prepares a medical aid operation in Lebanon, where people fleeing from the war are gathering. These days we focus on ensuring logistics of the operation in the field, obtaining medical materials, drugs and financial resources, so that MAGNA medical team can provide health care where it is needed the most as soon as possible.