Japan on Monday handed over medical equipment to the International Orthodox Christian Charities’ (IOCC) hearing and visual clinic in the Azraq refugee camp.

The ceremony was held online in light of the current entrance regulations at the Azraq camp due to the COVID pandemic.

Japanese Ambassador in Jordan Shimazaki Kaoru and IOCC Country Representative Loren Hyatt attended the virtual ceremony, according to a Japanese embassy statement.

In 2019, Japan extended a grant of $87,319 to the IOCC for the implementation of "the Project for Equipping Hearing and Visual Clinic in Azraq Syrian Refugee Camp” through the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects (GGP), which aims to improve basic human needs at the grass-roots level through NGOs and local governments.

This grant assistance aims to improve the quality of medical services provided at IOCC’s hearing and visual clinic in the camp, through the provision of medical equipment to conduct hearing and eyesight test. 

In addition, a van to transport patients inside the camp was included as part of the grant. 

The IOCC started its operation in Jordan in 2005 and has implemented long-term development and resilience activities for vulnerable Jordanians, as well as humanitarian programmes in response to influxes of Syrian refugees. 

Since 2017, the IOCC has been supporting Syrian refugees with disabilities in Azarq camp by providing needed hearing and visual diagnosis services, the statement said.

The new medical equipment provided by Japan is expected to enable medical specialists to provide more accurate and immediate diagnosis in addition to  the required treatment.

In the speech during the handover ceremony, the Japanese ambassador said: "This unprecedented global crisis of COVID-19 has deteriorated the living standard of socially vulnerable people making them more vulnerable, and threatened their dignified life. Therefore, it is obvious that the concept of Universal Health Coverage has become increasingly important to realise a society where ‘no one will be left behind’. I ardently hope that this project will contribute to the realisation of a universal health coverage and eventually to a better future for people with disabilities”.

Under Japanese Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects, Japan has extended more than $10 million for 150 projects to NGOs, schools, hospitals, and local governments in Jordan since 1993.