Deir Ballut- Salim, Saddam and Aisha are three siblings who along with their parents, abu Salim and um Salim struggle against a common disease, diabetes. The family lives in Deir Ballut, in the Salfeet district, and have been combating the adverse affects of the ailment for sometime now.
Their family home is more like a clinic, filled with medications and blood glucose test strips. Medical kits accompany the siblings, who suffer from acute visual impairments, wherever they go and with a blind father and a sick mother, the family undergoes daily blood glucose and blood pressure monitoring. The family is regular guests at West Bank hospitals, and continuously travels to hospitals and clinics. Their medical transfer documents and their medical papers have become an ever -present feature on official desks.
From the moment diabetes symptoms appeared in his three children, abu Salim’s life has revolved around their continuous care and treatment. Monthly treatment costs of around 6000 NIS for his three children forced the blind abu Salim to sell his land. Over the years, abu Salim could no longer cover the costs of the many and continuous visits to doctors, nor even the costs of travel to the nearby towns of Bidya and Rafat for doctor’s appointments. Eventually abu Salim appealed for help.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) responded to abu Salim’s call, immediately supplying the family with the necessary medications and organizing regular visits to them by a qualified professional who administers the relevant tests and check ups and assists the family in keeping to medical guidelines.
The home visits program, run by the Primary Health Care (PHC) at PRCS and supported by the Spanish Cooperation (AECID) through the Spanish Red Cross, saved the family the expense of time and money of traveling as well as the medical costs. For a year now, Haneen Al Barghouthi, a nurse at the PRCS clinic in Bidya, has been regularly carrying blood glucose tests strips and syringes, along with many other medicines to abu Salim’s home. There, she administers the vital tests that the family needs, measuring the frequent rise and fall of their blood glucose levels and blood pressure. She starts with Saddam, Aisha, and Salim and then moves on to their parents giving both health and medical advice.
“From the moment my children were diagnosed with diabetes 20 years ago, I have been enduring hardships; I paid for their treatment on my own, and that is why I sold my land 13 years ago,” says abu Salim who is over 50 years old now. He expressed his gratitude to the PRCS for saving him from the difficulties of traveling to hospitals and clinics and added that PRCS’ advice and consultations have helped him organize his family’s health affairs and avoid practices that adversely affect their health. “The PRCS take care of us, they helped me so much, I ask all other organizations to do the same, and to stand by me and my family,” adds abu Salim.
Um Salim, also a diabetic, used to have to travel to purchase medications and supplies for her children on a regular basis, she says, “I spent my days traveling, my foremost concern was to take care of my family’s health and my own as well.”
According to Salim the eldest sibling, family members do not venture on long trips because they fear health complications might occur when they are a long way from home. Salim, who can barely see, adds, “We cannot leave the house for long, complications might happen any time, the PRCS has saved us from that risk and comes directly to our house.”
Saddam, on the other hand, suffers from complications that affect his kidneys with continuous fluctuations in his blood glucose and pressure levels, requiring intensive and regular care by the PRCS, who have made extensive efforts on his behalf.
Nurse al Barghouthi commented on the effectiveness of the home visits; “I visit the family regularly, and administer the tests to all family members; their blood glucose and blood pressure fluctuate a lot and I give them advice on how to take good care of their health.” There are visible results from her visits over the last year, similar to 30 more cases she works with in the district, she says, “This is a special family because all of them are sick; I feel that I have helped, now they enjoy a more balanced lifestyle and we have spared them the costs of visiting doctors and paying for many of their medications.”
Dr. Saleh Abu Abah, the chronic diseases and home visits Program Coordinator, says about this program targeting those who have trouble traveling for medical treatment to clinics, “We started in 2007, to visit patients in their homes. Our teams make around 3000 home visits a year.” Dr. abu Abah added that the program targets patients suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks, tumors [cancer], kidney failures, as well as senior citizens. The program covers ten areas in the West Bank, namely, Jaba, Biddo, Bidya, Tubas, Silwad, Bani N’eem, Beit Fajjar, Halhul, and Arrabeh.
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