09 March 2016•Update: 09 March 2016
IDOMENI, Greece
Doctors in a refugee camp located in the northern Greek of town Idomeni, near the Macedonian border, are treating around 180 children per day, and they say that almost all the patients in the camp are children.
Doctors Without Borders officials told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that the number of refugees in Idomeni rises every day and the conditions in the camp are getting worse.
Dr. Angeliki Kozmadopulu, who practices at the camp, stated that almost 15,000 refugees are waiting for the border to open and that they treat almost 200 refugees a day, but that they don’t have enough time to examine and treat more.
"We treat 180 children a day. I work eight hours a day. I only see children in our tent during working hours," she added.
The doctor said the most common children’s ailments at the camp are respiratory tract infections, fever, stomach and bowel problems, and mild trauma.
There are few children suffering from toothaches, she said, luckily, as the camp has no dentist.
The number of refugees in the camp in Idomeni is set to swell to 15,000 after Macedonia and Serbia this week both decided to close their borders.
Another country along the Balkan route, Slovenia, announced Tuesday that only refugees with EU-issued Schengen visas will be allowed to enter the country.
Serbia, similarly, said that they would close their borders onto Macedonia and Bulgaria to refugees who lack valid visas.
Under the new policy, the refugees in Idomeni will not be allowed to enter Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, or Austria.
