In Jordan, care amid the chaos of a medical system under strain

by Nithin Paul, M.D.

Published Aug. 23, 2016, 4:32 p.m. ET

Nithin Paul, M.D. is a graduate of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. He and his colleagues traveled to Jordan in April of 2016 as part of their medical school experience. His interest in healthcare in the Middle East arose from his undergraduate participation with Middle Eastern Partnership Initiative (MEPI).

We were at the King Hussein Medical Center, the main hospital complex situated in Amman and run by the Royal Medical Services of Jordan, assisting with ophthalmology for the day. Compared to my experience in American clinics, the waiting room was overcrowded, and the desire for health information privacy was non-existent, as several patients were seen by the doctor in one exam room at once.

The locked door of the exam room started shaking and the knob rattled. The ophthalmologist, un-fazed by the sounds, continued to examine the patient seated across from her. I scanned the tiny office to see if anyone else was irked by the unheeded knocking. The nurse, holding a clipboard against the wall, continued taking notes as if completely undeterred.

A second patient, standing behind the first, seemed lost in his daydream. And a third patient remained engrossed in her texting. Even as the doctor moved through the patients in a thorough yet feverish manner, the periodic knocking never ceases. The mass of patients that remained to be seen behind the door would be a daunting task for any doctor, but this one seemed to be taking it in stride.

Over the course of the three weeks we had spent exploring healthcare delivery across the country, including visiting rural desert clinics in the south and field hospitals at Za'atari refugee camp in the north, I was beginning to get an idea of the enormous volume of patients that the entire Jordanian health network has been serving. Indeed, this was a system under a lot of strain.

But it had not always been like this. Every doctor I asked affirmed this. While things were never perfect, about five years ago is the consensus of when everything started changing. Indeed five years ago is also the time when the world started paying more attention to this region. Revolutions were sparking alight.

Jordan's incredible beauty and rich history must be experienced first-hand to truly appreciate. The culture is built on a foundation of hospitality and it seeps into the way the country is run. Speaking with some of the Syrian refugees themselves, I learned how anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 people were crossing the border during the worst moments of their civil war. Jordan took in almost all who came. I learned about Jordanian families that sponsored Syrian families to come live with them until they could find other accommodations. I saw how the hospitals are overflowing with patients and how jobs are difficult to come by.

But despite the difficulties associated with a country absorbing enough refugees to equal at least a fifth of its population, Jordanians will be the first to say that they are proud that their country boldly stepped up to help the refugees when other countries hesitated.

This is the second article in a series of three that details the medical students' experience in a Jordanian refugee camp.

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