In a corner of western Mosul, Iraq-an area often neglected by public services-the Al-Ubor Health Center stands as a vital sanctuary for families seeking access to essential health care.
Since it started operating in July 2023, this center has been a real lifeguard in Al-Ubor, where About 30,000 people face difficulties in access to medical care.
“We saw here for two years for mental health support, family planning, everything,” says Basha’er Ahmed, a longtime patient from the center and a resident in the surroundings.
“My husband has an injury to the spinal cord and can’t work. The services here are free. It was my neighbors who told me about the center. It’s a half -hour walk to get here.”
Vital support in a neglected area
Al-Ubor is a densely populated and needy area in western Mosul, where residents face daily challenges due to pollution, reduced mobility and a serious lack of public services – Including access to health care with comportable costs. Limited access to public health services and other existing constraints in people’s lives put the population of al-ups in a situation of vulnerability to disease and health problems.
“In al-up, the water comes every five days,” adds Basha’er Ahmed.
“There are no clinics or schools and children have to walk long distances to go to school. We have already seen scabies to spread rapidly due to lack of sanitation conditions.”
In this context, the Al-Ubor Health Center helps to deliver a critical gap, providing essential care for families who could otherwise have access to medical care. For many people in this area, the center is one of the few places where they can access essential care without financial embarrassment.
Respond to urgent needs with practical solutions
The Al-Ubor Health Center provides care to children and adolescents-girls from six months to 19 and boys up to 14 years-and provides general medicine consultations and first-rate care.
For the most serious cases, there is an ambulance to transfer patients to other health centers in the city of Mosul. Medications are supplied on site, when available, and, if they are missing, the team of (Doctors Without Borders) ensures that families are sent to alternative ways to obtain them.
The demand for health care is not limited to basic diseases. Families try to obtain at the Health Center also a wide range of maternal and reproductive health services.
The MSF Israa Al-Hassan Health Promotion Supervisor explains that “before MSF activities, many residents had difficulty accessing health care due to distance, lack of transport, unpaved roads and the absence of local facilities.”
“In emergency situations, delays and obstacles – even in control posts – could have fatal consequences,” he says.
Unsurpass
“My husband and I live with my in-laws. We saw here because it’s free,” says Doha Ghazi, a 19-year-old mother who lives in Al-Ubor while waiting to vaccinate her son.
To respond to the needs of the community, the Al-Ubor Health Center launched a children’s vaccination program in April 2025, in partnership with the Nineveh Health Directorate. Every Tuesday and Wednesdays, ten to 40 children are vaccinated, many of whom did not receive the first doses due to distances, financial difficulties or distrust about vaccine handling.
In less than three months, 764 vaccines were administered; 240 of these only in June. Vaccines protect against tuberculosis, measles, smallpox, polio and seizure cough.
“My eldest daughter was also vaccinated here,” recalls Shaza Youssef, a young mother of two, while holding her baby with 20 days.
“That’s why I brought my newborn here.”
Support during and after pregnancy
Without this health center, many people would not have access to care – in which family planning services are included among others. The center also provides essential care to women during pregnancy and after delivery, such as ultrasounds, infection tests, tetanus vaccination and routine monitoring.
Women also receive postpartum care up to 40 days after birth to support them in recovery and well-being.
Other family planning services include intrauterine devices and contraceptive implants for women who would not have access to these options otherwise, given priority to those who have medical needs.
Although no health center births are made, MSF’s medical team ensures the referral of pregnant women to appropriate units in Mosul, such as the Nablus Hospital – where MSF continues to take care – or for other available options to ensure continuity of care throughout the process.
Mental health and promotion of awareness
In addition to providing physical care, health promotion is made by the MSF team, which sensitizes to issues such as puberty, hygiene, infectious diseases and chronic problems such as antimicrobial resistance, often aggravated by the unregulated use of antibiotics in low -income communities.
In addition, MSF’s mental health team provides psychosocial support to patients at the Al-Ubor Health Center.
Israa al-Hassan recalls cases in which mothers resorted to unqualified nurses in the neighborhood, which led to the unsuccessful use of antibiotics and the aggravation of diseases.
Currently, with the services provided by MSF and the many sensitization sessions carried out, residents have faster access to better quality care, and misuse of antibiotics has decreased significantly.
Perspectives for the future
In a context where public health services are scarce, the center of al-up has become a space of confidence, where children are vaccinated, mothers are supported, mental health is valued and community voices are heard.
“Since we started working in Al-Ubor, we have seen healthier mothers and babies, better living conditions and a stronger sense of hope. People receive free and quality care without barriers, and the community feels safer and more confident about the future,” concludes MSF for midwives, Pacific Oriato.
