Better health for the Bedouins
Beyond the bustling urban centres of Jordan and Lebanon, there are remote rural pockets of Bedouin populations that desperately require improved healthcare services. The EU-funded project Bedouin Health sought to upgrade healthcare in these countries' outlying areas. The project evaluated healthcare habits of nomadic peoples related to reproductive and child health, assessing feedback of stakeholders from policymakers to the Bedouins themselves. With on-site studies having taken place in Jordan's eastern desert and Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, the project team audited healthcare provision and utilisation in these remote areas. It mapped preventive care and treatment for Bedouin women and children, identifying barriers to accessing the specific types of healthcare addressed. This was followed by development of plans to improve quality of healthcare and access, as well as dissemination of findings and recommendations to relevant stakeholders. Suggestions for policymakers included streamlining equipment purchase and maintenance, encouraging healthcare employees through incentives to move to rural areas and raising awareness about immunisation. Recommendations for healthcare providers in the meantime included video conferencing to overcome isolation, boosting midwifery, enhancing childcare, increasing training and raising awareness on healthcare services. Lastly, Bedouin Health produced suggestions for communities, providing valuable and useful sets of recommendations and guidelines to improve Bedouin healthcare in remote areas. Eventually, such a model could spread to other parts of the Middle East and even to North Africa, upgrading healthcare systems and bringing well-being to underserved segments of society.
