The Jordan Times
By Laila Azzeh

DEIR ALLA - Hundreds of residents of the villages of Fannoush and Maisarah in Deir Alla, a few kilometres from the Jordan River, received medical care and in-kind assistance from the National Goodwill Campaign on Saturday.

Waiting in line for medical examinations, women expressed gratitude for the chance to be provided with “decent” medical care at no cost, and spoke of how area inhabitants suffer from a lack of health facilities.

“I brought my mother today to have a check-up. She is an old woman with a lot of health problems and no medical insurance,” Maryam Kilani, a mother of six, told The Jordan Times yesterday.

“I cannot afford to take her to a doctor each time she suffers a health problem,” Kilani lamented, noting that there is only one “primitive” healthcare centre in Fannoush village.

Alia Iker, a mother of three, said she lost her 17-year-old son to an asthma attack five months ago.

“My second son, Taha, also suffers from asthma and we do not have a resident doctor in the area to provide him with appropriate medical care each time he has an attack,” the 37-year-old said, adding that she is now afraid of losing her second son.

The free medical day, held at Abu El Houl School in cooperation with the health ministry and drug companies, included 11 clinics specialising in diabetes, bone diseases, paediatrics and dentistry, in addition to a pharmacy and breast cancer screenings among other services.

At the opening of the event, Minister of Health Nayef Fayez announced the ministry’s plans to appropriate a piece of land in the area to establish a health centre, noting that it will cooperate with the National Goodwill Campaign to provide required medical care for those who are not covered by health insurance.

Nayef Abdallat, president of the campaign’s medical committee, noted that several cases were referred to hospitals, highlighting that around 300 types of medications were available during the event.

He noted that many children in the district suffer from allergies and asthma due to the dusty conditions in the area.

“We were surprised by the number of children who suffer from allergy and asthma symptoms,” he told The Jordan Times.

HRH Princess Basma, president of the campaign’s higher committee, toured the clinics and listened to the residents’ stories.

She also distributed in-kind donations, including food parcels and clothes, to 500 families in the district donated by the International Relief and Development Organisation, and presented Eid Al Adha gifts to 140 children.

Underlining the important role women can play in electing an “effective” Lower House, the Princess called on them to practise their constitutional right to vote in Tuesday’s elections.

Princess Basma also highlighted the significance of the National Goodwill Campaign in alleviating the impact of poverty across the Kingdom.

Ajayeb Dwahek, president of the Jordan Valley Charity Society, said women in the district play an important economic role, particularly in agriculture, highlighting poverty, unemployment, and other difficulties facing Deir Alla and surrounding areas.

The National Goodwill Campaign, first launched by the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development in 1991, has served numerous underprivileged families and has grown over the years to become synonymous with support for the poor and marginalised, according to the campaign.