Medical Hope: A Healthcare Project

ITALIAN VERSION

Daniela Grill – Riforma

In addition to MH’s Humanitarian Corridors which have been carried out by FCEI, the Tavola Valdese and the Community of Sant’Egidio, another project will complement the aid provided to those who have been living in refugee camps or cannot afford a suitable medical care.
This is Medical Hope a health care project which will be presented in the Waldesian church of Pinerolo on Sunday December 11th in the occasion of an afternoon of music and solidarity.
The spokesman is Luciano Griso, physician and member of the team that works on Humanitarian corridor project who has recently returned to Italy with a group of refugees that safe and sound has legally reached Italy.

How did Medical Hope begin?
“This healthcare project was born during our work and we have gradually conceived it as a possibility to help people who face major health problems but do not want to leave the country in which they live. Most of them are Syrian refugees who have been living in Lebanon for a longer or shorter period. These people are sick, disabled and de facto belong to the category of people who are involved in the Humanitarian Corridors project. As you can imagine, a large group of refugees has medical problems that cannot be solved since these people cannot cover medical expenses.”

How many interventions have you made?
“Let us say that the work load depends on our budget: we have a little fund for some intervention but it does not certainly allow all. Mainly, we have focused on interventions that can save lives, like chemotherapy treatments, interventions of people with heart diseases or important tests like MRIs. For instance, we have found severe disabilities in children, both physical and mental, of which we still do not exactly know the origin, – and even in this area we could offer some aid.”

Are single or long-term interventions?
“In the long term, we should work in the field of prevention, as anyone who teaches. But this topic cannot be done in refugee camps, no government intervenes. Certainly, if the situation does not erupt it is only thanks to the great work that international or Lebanese organisations has been carrying out among the refugees.”
For more information, we suggest you to visit the Waldensian church in Pinerolo on Sunday, December 11th at 17 o’clock. Here, the Turba Concinens choir will exhibit and Medical Hope will be presented.

Massimo Gnone, representative on migration for Waldensian Diaconia will participate to this event organised by Waldensian Diaconia. Also, Luciano Griso will participate and he said the reasons for his presence: “Between January and February 2017 the arrival of another group of refugees is expected and we – the team working in the Humanitarian corridors, will go back to Lebanon. In the meantime, during our stay in Italy, we will try to present the Hope Medical as much as possible as well as raising funds and offering sharing events.”

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