* Patient name has been changed to protect their identity

Syrian refugees in Lebanon are being subjected to strict regulations governing their freedom of movement, making it increasingly difficult for them to access essential healthcare. Refugees’ cars and motorcycles have been confiscated, despite these often being their only means of transport after the economic crisis made taxis and public transport unaffordable.

Mahmoud is a 56-year-old Syrian refugee living with diabetes, a chronic illness which requires him to go for regular medical check-ups and to collect his medication from his nearest clinic, run by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The clinic is 5 km from his home in a refugee camp in Arsal, north Lebanon. No longer able to use his motorcycle, Mahmoud has no choice but to travel on foot, despite suffering back problems which make it difficult for him to walk.

The walk to the clinic and the restrictions on refugees’ freedom of movement have led to Mahmoud missing a number of recent medical appointments, sometimes leaving him without medication for a week. He worries about the toll this is taking on his health.

"The pressure we are facing is limiting our freedom of movement,” says Mahmoud over the phone. “People living with diabetes need regular medical check-ups. Just now I am walking to my appointment with MSF, which is why I am out of breath."

The pressure felt by Mahmoud is compounded by his fears that his family will be deported to Syria, amid the government's plans to repatriate refugees. He lives in constant anxiety of their home being raided and of being separated from his children; he is scared of even leaving the house to collect his medication.

"My biggest fear concerns my four boys,” says Mahmoud. “Their residency hasn't been renewed since 2018 because they only have a registration record. My heart is always racing, scared that someone will raid us and take one of my sons. I ask myself: Where would they take him? What will happen to him? What will be his fate?"

A major concern for Mahmoud is forced military service in Syria, which could impact his children's future if they are deported. "The main problem if we go back is forced military service,” says Mahmoud. “Military service lasts for 9 to 10 years. And our eldest kids, who were 10 and 11 in 2013, are now 23 and 24 years old, meaning they are subject to military service."

"We are living in constant, indescribable fear," Mahmoud says.