As the crisis in Syria intensifies, people continue to flee to neighbouring countries. More then 50,000 Syrians have sought refuge in Iraq, including 42,000 in the Kurdistan region where many live in overcrowded camps.

Domeez camp, near the city ofDohukin the Kurdish region ofIraq, was set up at the beginning of 2012 and is home today to nearly 15,000 Syrian refugees of Kurdish origin.



Since May 2012, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has been running a 24-hour clinic in the camp, in collaboration with Dohuk’s Department of Health.



Today, we are the camp’s main health provider, offering medical consultations and mental healthcare to the refugees, and providing training for local health staff. To date, our teams have provided over 20,500 consultations.



“Until June there were about 2,000 people settled in Domeez, and the camp was running well,” says Anja Wolz, MSF field coordinator in Dohuk.



“But in August, the situation deteriorated because of a sudden massive arrival of refugees. With up to 1,000 people crossing the border each day, the camp quickly became overcrowded and, despite the efforts of the authorities, the level of assistance was clearly insufficient.”



By the end of September, MSF’s mental health team had carried over 290 psychological consultations.





Soran Ali