Turkish hospitals refuse to treat Palestinian-Syrian refugee
ISTANBUL, Turkey (North Press) – Two days ago, Turkish hospitals refused to receive a Palestinian-Syrian refugee who had lost an eye.
Palestinian and Syrian refugees often experience in harsh economic and living conditions, as obtaining official documents that guarantee them entry to hospitals and medical centers is difficult.
Local sources concerned with Syrian refugees’ conditions in Turkey stated that hospitals justify their actions by saying that the refugee did not have a temporary protection card for the Syrians (known as kimlik).
Sources and those close to Palestinian-Syrian refugee Firas Abdulqadir issued a call to international and humanitarian organizations in Turkey to contribute to the costs of two surgeries to restore the sight to his eye.
The source mentioned that the treatment costs about $3,000.
A source that is familiar with the situation of the refugee said, in a phone call with North Press, “Abdulqadir lost his sight in Turkish territory, and he is not allowed to be treated in state hospitals because he does not have the kimlik.”
Abdulqadir applied for documents in the city of Izmir, stating that he was a Palestinian-Syrian refugee from Syria’s Yarmouk camp.
The estimated number of refugees who bear Syrian documentations in Turkey is about 10,000, according to sources concerned with Palestinian refugees.
Most refugees reside in Istanbul, Gaziantep, Kilis, Hatay, and Mersin, and they suffer of poor conditions.
Human Rights sources announced in October that Turkish authorities had been detaining a Palestinian-Syrian refugee in Istanbul Airport for more than a month.
Nearly 2,400 Palestinian-Syrian families suffer from difficult livelihood and legal conditions, including 400 families who do not have documentation to work in Turkey. They are deprived of treatment, work, and education, according to the statistics of the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria.