Mahmood Idris, 39 years old, nurse in Hatay
WHO
Mahmood Idris was one of the first participants in the nurse training programme, part of the Refugee Health Training Programme. Today he works at the Hatay Refugee Health Training Centre, but it was a difficult road to get there. He first came to Turkey in 2013, along with his 2 sons. One of his sons has hemiplegia and requires high-quality and often expensive health care.
“We escaped from the war. However, it was not easy to establish a new life in Turkey,” says Mahmood. “My first year was especially a nightmare. I worked at a car vehicle repair shop as a panel beater, but I could not even afford my rent. Those days were very difficult for me and my family.”
Mahmood heard about the Refugee Health Training Programme from his friends. After sending in his certificates, the Ministry of Health invited him to be a member of the first group that went to Ankara for theoretical training.
After successfully completing both the theoretical and practical training, he was assigned to work in the Hatay Refugee Health Training Centre. His salary is better now, though he still struggles to pay for his son’s medical treatment, and he has the chance to work in his chosen profession.
There are 11 nurses working in the Hatay Refugee Health Training Centre. Mahmood is responsible for child vaccination. “It is a little bit tiring because there are lots of Syrian refugees in this region who need to get vaccines,” he says. “Nevertheless, we all came here with the same sorrow. Helping these people makes me happy.”
The Refugee Health Training Programme
The Refugee Health Training Programme helps ensure that Syrian refugees in Turkey can access culturally sensitive health-care services in their own language. Since the Programme began in 2016, 850 nurses have participated in theoretical courses, supported by WHO. A total of 578 nurses have completed practical training, and 336 have received vocational competence certificates and are now actively working in Refugee Health Training Centres.
