Since last December, vulnerable groups living at the streets have been receiving health and psychosocial support
Due to the growing needs of health and psychosocial support of the homeless in Thessaloniki, Medecins Du Monde Greece has been implementing since last December regular actions on the road via on-site interventions, approaching and offering help to the homeless population in need.
Street work team of MdM Greece, consisted of the staff, a nurse, a general practitioner and many volunteers, have been acting the last three months in the streets of Thessaloniki, aiming of identifying, assessing the needs and improving the living conditions of the homeless. At the same time, health support has been provided to the homeless to deal with diseases that afflict dozens of people who live on the streets or in unsafe housing. About half of them were found in a morbid situation, since in addition to homelessness, they have also been struggling with chronic diseases. So they got connected to the Polyclinic of MdM Greece at 29A Ptolemaion Street, as well as with other health institutions. There, they underwent further medical examination to assess their needs.
Two of the homeless had been struggling with serious psychiatric problems for which they had not been receiving specialized psychiatric care for a very long time. They are now under regular monitoring by a psychiatrist of the NSRF program, which has been implemented in Thessaloniki with the support of the Region of Central Macedonia – Thrace. Also, Street Work team delivered to everybody in need the basic necessities, such as personal hygiene kits, dry food, sleeping bags, etc., while those who were referred to the Polyclinic were vaccinated by the MdM Greece’s doctor.
Offering help and support to these groups of our fellow human beings is particularly critical, because living on the streets endangers their health, even more now, in the midst of a pandemic, with the exposure to Covid19 transmission. At the same time, the daily issues of commuting of this specific population, are making difficult for them to be approached. So, MdM Greece have increased its staff and the frequency of the acts on the road. It is worth noting that since the beginning of February, when the weather conditions worsened, Street Work team, with the contribution of volunteers, approached even more homeless who had not been identified in the past, while many of them have turned to MdM Greece for mediation and liaison with local organizations for homeless.
Medecins Du Monde Greece stick by those in need, without discrimination.
The Act entitled “Strengthening and improving the services provided by the Social Polyclinic of Medecins Du Monde in Thessaloniki”, with IIS code 5041784, is implemented under the Operational Program Central Macedonia 2014 – 2020, with funding from Greece and the European Union.
