Al-Ubor is a neglected and densely populated corner in Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, where years of inadequate access to public services have made people more vulnerable and susceptible to illnesses and other health conditions.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are providing much-needed health care at Al-Ubor Health Center, which opened in 2023 and has since been a lifeline for the area’s estimated 30,000 residents.
“We’ve been coming here for two years for mental health, family planning, everything,” says Basha’er Ahmed, a patient at the center. “My husband has a spinal cord injury and can’t work. The services here are free. My neighbors told me about the center. We walk half an hour to get here.”
Al-Ubor Health Center helps to bridge critical gaps by offering essential care to families who might otherwise go without. For many in the area, this center is one of the few places they can access vital care without financial constraints.
In addition to health care access, the residents of Al-Ubor face the daily challenges of pollution, limited mobility, and the effects of being largely overlooked in public services. “There are no clinics or schools, and kids walk far to attend class,” Basha’er explains.
