Japan rolls out funding for health clinic in Azraq camp

AMMAN — Japanese Ambassador to Jordan Hidenao Yanagi visited the Azraq refugee camp on Sunday to inaugurate the start of a Japanese funding programme for a reproductive health clinic that is supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

“The clinic in Azraq provides safe, quality care to women in the camp so that they and their families can experience better health. It sets the standard so that women demand quality care,” said UNFPA Jordan Representative Laila Baker.

It is one of many initiatives supported by Japan to further Jordan’s resilience in providing for Syrian refugees under the Jordan Response Plan, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

Since 2014, UNFPA has been supporting three reproductive health clinics in Azraq refugee camp. Around 8,000 women and girls of childbearing age depend on these clinics to access services, the statement explained.

Yanagi expressed his appreciation for the generosity and readiness of the government and people of Jordan in receiving massive numbers of refugees.

He added that realising universal health coverage is one of the priorities of Japanese diplomacy and that it is critically important to ensure universal access of comprehensive reproductive health services.

“Refugees residing in camps are extremely vulnerable, and women and girls, in particular, are facing a number of challenges, such as lack of medical care and a high risk of gender-based violence,” said Yanagi.

Baker also reiterated the importance of supporting women’s reproductive health and rights through the work of the clinic and its managing partner, the International Rescue Committee.

“Too often, women and girls are seen as ‘peripheral’ to the health of a family,” Baker underlined.

The joint efforts, within the clinic and beyond, Baker explained, especially focuses on the prevention of maternal death and ending gender-based violence.

The facilities supported by Japan and the UNFPA provide a variety of services to women and girls.

These services include individual and couple’s family planning counselling, antenatal care, postnatal care, management of the immediate consequences of sexual violence, post-abortion care, as well as referral services to a network of affiliated hospitals inside and outside the camp.