IOM Bus System: Efficient Coordination for Proper Healthcare
An overview of the bus routing system, with testimonials and important numbers.
UN Migration IOM, as part of the German Humanitarian Assistance, offers a transportation service to Primary Healthcare Centers (PHC) for Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian residents, and refugees, as well as migrant workers. 57% of passengers did not know about the subsidized PHC services before utilizing this transportation service.
Instead of a trip that would take 1-2hrs walking from their place of residence to the PHC due to unconstructed roads, or unaffordable transportation fairs; IOM dedicates rotating buses to transport groups of 20-30 patients for their routine checkups and doctor’s appointments. 48% of transport passengers reported they had no alternative transport to the PHC prior to IOM’s services, noting cost was reported as the main barrier. This service has led to the early detection of many cases, the immediate treatment of severe conditions, and the spread of awareness on vaccination importance.
In the city of Akkar, and at the center of Halba square, gathers the core team of volunteers and project coordinator, Hala Bitar. At a local library and friend, Al Jundi, the team runs over the day’s routine, the areas to visit, the tasks at hand, then set out from there to visit as many areas as agreed. Three buses are stationed and ready, displaying a banner that announces, “Free Transportation, Primary Health Care.”
In the north governate, the team is comprised of 10 people who walk through their lists of contacts, messaging various WhatsApp groups compiled in outreach by the volunteers. Most of the volunteers come from a medical background, comprising of students, nurses, and various practitioners. But to the communities in Akkar, they are a friend, a kin, a dependable and trustworthy social worker. “There was a pregnant woman who was late into her pregnancy, she had colic, so we called Maram, one of the volunteers, and she directly responded. It took us 30 min to get to the PHC,” shares Maryam, mother of 3 children. “We have noticed the difference in percentage of pregnant women and children who visit our PHC. Their numbers have increased because of the transportation service that guarantees their safe arrival and return,” concurs Juliet Dargham, Director of the St. Paul Public Health Center, Sheikh Taba.
All coordination is set up for efficiency. Guided by the project coordinator, Hala knows the ins and outs of the transport system, having visited over 23 villages with IOM already, as far as Wadi Khaled. The bus visits and the PHC work hand in hand to detect cases and provide treatment at the root. Juliet identifies a powerful lead: “Because of the transport system, we noticed an increase in patients visiting us for chicken pox. We followed the trail and identified a polluted water source that the children were drinking from. So, we let the municipality know and reported the case to officials.”
The buses make multiple rounds at various stops, each operating at the same time, picking up and dropping off patients. All PHC centers are the nearest to the villages or camps chosen for the rounds that day. And the meeting points are well-known to the locals, so in one village, Lebanese residents gather at Em Amer’s house, an admired neighbor.
Passengers enter the buses, equipped for a decent number of people, and around 20 people fill in comfortable seats. The volunteers check up on the passengers, collecting names and asking for their reasons of visit to the PHC. The top 5 reported reasons for accessing the transportation service include: General Medicine, Vaccination, Pediatrician, Gynecology, and Body Pain. Banter and kindness is shared, as they are used to each other, and sometimes Ahmad, one of the volunteers sweetens the ride with music. Although the passengers have their ailments, worries, and physical distress, they are promised a safe and smooth ride to proper healthcare.
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