Saudi doctor opens first free dental clinic in Jordan

The hospital at Al-Azraq camp in Jordan where Mariam Saleh Binladen opened a free dental clinic for Syrian refugees, in cooperation with the International Medical Corps (IMC) and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JCHO). (SPA)

JEDDAH: Mariam Saleh Binladen, a dentist from Saudi Arabia, has teamed up with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO) and International Medical Corps (IMC) Hospital, and opened a free dental clinic for Syrian refugees.
The first-of-its-kind facility in the region was officially inaugurated on Tuesday at Al-Azraq camp in Jordan, which currently is home to more than 55,000 Syrian refugees.
Dr. Binladen’s new clinic within the camp has the capability to attend to thousands of refugees in 2017, providing crucial oral care, all cost-free, as she continues to relentlessly act on her commitment to improve the lives of Syrian refugees and orphans.
“More than 4 million Syrians have been uprooted from their homeland, half whom are 17 or younger. This is truly the greatest humanitarian disaster of our time,” said Binladen. “Many of these children have no family, no support network, no one to care for them. As a young woman from the Middle East, I was moved to do all I can to help those in need. The dental clinic is a necessary, but also a wonderful facility for the orphaned children in Al-Azraq Refugee Camp. As a dentist from the region, I am humbled to see something so close to my heart open its doors to those in need,” she added.
Earlier this year, Binladen, to shed light on the plight of Syrian refugees, raised funds for the dental clinic. Additionally, working alongside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), she has so far raised more than $.5 million.
Today, 7 percent of Jordan’s national population are registered Syrian refugees, totaling around 655,831. The Kingdom now hosts the second largest volume of refugees per 1,000 inhabitants in the world.
Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR’s regional representative to the GCC countries, said Dr. Binladen is an example of an athletic and philanthropic woman from the region who can make a difference as the dental clinic is a timely and much needed facility that will help hundreds of refugees.
Ayman Al-Mufleh, secretary general of the JHCO, also said that they are honored to be part of the clinic and thanked Dr. Binladen. “We are certain that this unique and groundbreaking facility will go a long way in ensuring Syrian children and women are cared for properly; this important milestone was completed in less than two months, and it is an achievement we are very proud of,” he said.
Dr. Ahmad Bawaeneh, acting country director of the IMC, which has been operating in the camp since April 2014, and has attended to the primary health care needs of more than 30,000 refugees so far with support from ECHO, UNHCR and UNICEF, said, “The addition of the dental clinic is vital to the overall services we offer, and is crucial in ensuring the sustainability of a generation that will grow to rebuild its homeland.”
Binladen will be venturing into further initiatives in 2017, and will be working closely with the UNHCR and other humanitarian bodies, to continue her pledge to support Syrian refugees across the world.