The Med'EqualiTeam clinic was located in Vathy ("Samos town"), about 15 minutes’ walk from the entrance of the refugee camp.
The clinic served as a primary health care facility, with seven consultations rooms where patients could see doctors and get free treatment as needed. As well as common GP complaints (including treatment for chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension), we treated problems relating to hygiene in the camp, such as rat bites, severely infected wounds, and diarrhoea. We saw many patients with mental health issues. Due to lack of access to quality healthcare in the past, we also saw patients in advanced stages of disease.We also offered physiotherapy and daily wound dressings, as well as measuring eyesight and offering glasses.
Urgent cases surpassing our capacity were transferred to hospital, and in other serious cases we referred directly to other actors, such as EODY (the Greek National Public Health Organisation, who also ran the small clinic in the refugee camp), the hospital, UNHCR, and MSF.
The team saw up to 300 patients of all ages per day. Approximately 35% of patients were Farsi-speaking Afghans, 35% were French- or English-speakers from Africa, and 30% were from Arabic speaking countries. A third of our patient population was children.
In addition to our clinics, we offered weekly health workshops on topics such as reproductive health, mental health, and children’s diseases.