Abstract
Last summer our small medical team visited the Calais ‘Jungle’. Since that time much has changed and the camp is being demolished and by the time this article is read, it will probably be long gone. Some youngsters are finally being brought to the UK under the ‘Dubs’ amendment. However, once this camp is cleared it will not solve the ongoing flight of refugees from war torn areas: other camps are already appearing. A young Afghan man caught his finger on a sharp point while trying to cross a barbed wire fence. The finger was partially degloved. He attended the local hospital, where they placed a few sutures, but now, 2 weeks later, the skin is necrotic and the underlying tissue looks infected. He is in danger of losing his finger. A middle-aged Sudanese man has been having rigors and is generally unwell. He says it is similar to when he last had malaria. A young Ukrainian woman complains of lower back pain and urinary frequency. The paths of these three people may never have crossed; yet here they are, denizens of the Calais Jungle. They turn up to a makeshift primary care ‘clinic’ that we set up in the heart of the unofficial refugee camp one weekend in July 2016. With only basic medical supplies, we are immediately challenged by what we see. How can we arrange secondary care for the young Afghan in danger of losing his finger? We try to persuade him to return to the original local hospital, but he is reluctant. It was not a good experience for …
Highlights
Last summer our small medical team visited the Calais ’Jungle’
Some youngsters are being brought to the UK under the ’Dubs’ amendment. Once this camp is cleared it will not solve the ongoing flight of refugees from war torn areas: other camps are already appearing
The finger was partially degloved. He attended the local hospital, where they placed a few sutures, but 2 weeks later, the skin is necrotic and the underlying tissue looks infected. He is in danger of losing his finger
Summary
Last summer our small medical team visited the Calais ’Jungle’. Since that time much has changed and the camp is being demolished and by the time this article is read, it will probably be long gone. He attended the local hospital, where they placed a few sutures, but 2 weeks later, the skin is necrotic and the underlying tissue looks infected. He is in danger of losing his finger. A young Ukrainian woman complains of lower back pain and urinary frequency The paths of these three people may never have crossed; yet here they are, denizens of the Calais Jungle. They turn up to a makeshift primary care ‘clinic’ that we set up in the heart of the unofficial refugee camp one weekend in July 2016. We see haematomas from police batons, and hear about children being exposed to tear gas again and again (Figure 1)
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