Helping refugees to help themselves

Displaced from their homes and often unable to access healthcare, refugees are especially vulnerable to an array of physical and mental health problems.

SAT-7 is helping them to help themselves find healing through a series of short medical information segments. “You are your own doctor” is the message from the programme, which is presented by Dr Hany Keylada, an expert on refugee issues who has served on the medical front line in war-torn Syria and Iraq.

In each bitesize episode of Your Doctor, Dr Keylada teaches viewers the basics of how to identify and treat certain conditions. He presents information on first aid and dealing with emergency healthcare needs, as well as educating refugees on disease prevention and protection. The segments are also covering mental health issues and a range of medical topics that impact people’s everyday lives, such as blood pressure and cholesterol, the respiratory system and the digestive system.

“In every episode we always say to the viewers ‘You are your own doctor’ [and] we encourage them to know a certain amount of information that could help them help themselves,” producer John Adly says.

Refugees across the Middle East and Europe face significant health and hygiene challenges due to living in camps or sub-standard temporary housing. They are often unable to access healthcare for new and existing conditions. In addition, the trauma of being exposed to war and violence and the instability of displacement can lead to mental health problems. Facing these issues without adequate medical care is a daily struggle for people far from their homes.

Each episode of Your Doctor is only five minutes long and is designed to be easily downloaded via social media. Refugees are therefore able to watch the segments on smartphones or other portable devices wherever they are.

As well as being accessible on social media, the Your Doctor segments will feature within the SAT-7 programme Medicine and Life, which is shortly to air its second series. Aiming to address the physical and psychological needs of those who have been displaced from their homes, Medicine and Life has a good reputation for providing trustworthy advice and information. Viewers have contacted SAT-7 to ask for episodes to be uploaded to You Tube so that they can access the programme online.