Improving Healthcare in Greek Refugee Camps: Executive Summary

Since 2015, the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos Island, Greece has been populated with refugees from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), escaping conflict and instability. Currently, 5,000 refugees are living on the island in dilapidated facilities operated by the Interior Ministry of Greece. Moria was the first refugee hotspot on the island, a haven for thousands of asylum-seekers. Now, it is considered a detention center and has left residents awaiting possible deportation to Turkey. The horrific living circumstances have induced and exacerbated mental illnesses across the resident population. Initially, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), such as Doctors Without Borders, began treating these conditions, but such groups have reduced involvement in Moria. The Greek government has neglected mental health infrastructure and services at Moria, contributing to more cases of self-harm, psychosis, violence and suicide.

This proposal recommends establishing primary and mental health care in Greek refugee camps through the creation of a governmental agency. This agency will be specifically designed to oversee the formation and management of refugee camps in the country by moving responsibility from the Ministry of the Interior by the Greek Legislature. Similar to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency in Turkey, the Greek government will construct the proper infrastructure to treat mental illness and serve as a primary care facility, while employing doctors, psychiatrists, counselors, and other healthcare workers to maximize organization and quality. Funding can be accessed from the European Commission, along with donations from other states, private donors, and NGOs. Creating a government agency to specifically handle refugee camps could improve living conditions in current camps, while creating standards for future camps in a country that will continue to be a gateway for migration into Europe.

Sources:

EU/Greece: Asylum Seekers’ Silent Mental Health Crisis. (2017, July 12). Retrieved October 04, 2017, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/07/12/eu/greece-asylum-seekers-silent-mental-health-crisis

International Activity Report 2016. (2016). Retrieved October 04, 2017, from http://activityreport2016.msf.org/country/greece/

Katsarova, B. (2017, April 8). Lesbos: The refugee crisis in 2015; the island today. Retrieved October 04, 2017, from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2017/04/lesbos-refugee-crisis-2015-island-today-170403122959442.html

Papadimitriou, J. (2017, July 21). Violence becoming commonplace in Moria refugee camp | Germany Guide for Refugees | DW | 21.07.2017. Retrieved October 04, 2017, from http://www.dw.com/en/violence-becoming-commonplace-in-moria-refugee-camp/a-39793594