A woman holds a baby, warming themselves near a makeshift fire at Ritsona refugee camp north of Athens, on 29 October 2016. Petros Giannakouris/Press Association. All rights reserved.
In August 2016, Feiza from Syria gave birth to her fifth child. She called the boy Ahmed. I met Feiza three days after she came back from the hospital in Softex camp, near Thessaloniki. She complained of pain in her stomach, saying that it was swollen and blue in some parts, No doctor has been to see her or her baby since she left the hospital. The camp, where over 2000 people live, only provides basic medical help – gynaecology is outside their expertise.
Feiza complained that cesarean sections were being performed in the hospital even when they were neither requested nor needed. “Refugee”, she said by way of explanation, shrugged, and looked at the ground. It’s the only English word she knows.
