COVID-19 and non-communicable diseases in complex vulnerable populations: evidence from Jordan

Abstract

More than three in 10 people living in Jordan are immigrants, with the majority being Palestinian and Syrian refugees, who have a very similar non-communicable diseases (NCDs) profile to the hosting Jordanian community. We conducted a rapid review of the literature of studies, reports, and documents on the evidence of the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations in Jordan with regard to NCD during the first year of the pandemic. COVID-19-related mobility constraints and often lack of awareness of NCDs put additional burden on vulnerable populations like refugees and migrants, in particular on non-registered migrants. COVID-19 pandemic and associated mitigation measures led to disruption in routine health services, significantly impacting people living with NCDs. Ensuring to deliver a people-centered and inclusive approach that works well during COVID-19 is of paramount importance toward Universal Health Coverage (all people have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship).

Risk as catalyst for positive change: lessons learnt from public health readiness for cholera in Jordan

“…JCDC and MoH, with the support from UNICEF and WHO held a workshop on 16 January 2023 to establish the terms of reference for the working group, modelled on a whole-of-government committee that had been in place during the COVID-19 pandemic and had supported the COVID-19 national campaign ‘Elak O Feed’ (For you and your benefit) 34. The working group under the leadership of MoH and with JCDC as a secretariat will coordinate RCCE efforts and develop messaging for all-hazard health threats beyond cholera, including risk factors for non-communicable diseases, the largest contributors to disease burden in Jordan 35. Furthermore, the working group is currently tasked in developing the national RCCE strategy.…”

“…34 The working group under the leadership of MoH and with JCDC as a secretariat will coordinate RCCE efforts and develop messaging for all-hazard health threats beyond cholera, including risk factors for non-communicable diseases, the largest contributors to disease burden in Jordan. 35 Furthermore, the working group is currently tasked in developing the national RCCE strategy.…”

Participatory Mathematical Modeling Approach for Policymaking during the First Year of the COVID-19 Crisis, Jordan

“…However, PDIs are unsustainable and may have wider-reaching detrimental effects. For example, home confinement considerably increased the rate of domestic violence in many countries, affecting women and children the most (12), and limited access to essential services for vulnerable populations (13)(14)(15)(16)(17). Therefore, tailored interventions that maintain persons' livelihoods and keep economies functional while protecting persons at high risk need to be considered (11).…”