Maher al-Sharaa and the UNFPA director discuss ways to enhance cooperation in the health field

Charge d’Affairs of the Syrian Ministry of Health, Maher al-Sharaa, discussed with Regional Director of the United Nations Population Fund, Laila Bakr, on Wednesday the ways to enhance cooperation in the health sector and improve the health services in Syria.

The discussion came during a meeting at the Ministry building in Damascus with the presence of the Assistant Charge d’Affaires of the Ministry, Dr. Hussein Al-Khatib, and a number of directors and stakeholders in the Ministry.

The two sides discussed multiple priority issues, including supporting the primary health care services, enhancing reproductive health, providing vaccination for young children, in addition to working on strengthening the recovery programs and improving the humanitarian situation in the country.

Dr. al-Sharaa made it clear the importance of the continuous coordination between the concerned parties, emphasizing the need to exchange experiences to improve the health sector amid the current challenges.

For her part, Mrs. Baker said: “It is important to seek help from partners who have a successful health experience to rebuild and develop the health system in Syria.”

She expressed the readiness of the United Nations Population Fund to support joint efforts to rebuild the health system.

Bakr stressed the Fund’s commitment to providing assistance to strengthen health services and ensure their sustainability.

Carlos Arias, MSF’s medical coordinator for Syria, previously explained that hospitals in Syria are suffering from a severe shortage of medicines and fuel, which limits the capacity of medical teams to provide treatment.

He pointed out that patients are dying due to the lack of medicines for diseases that can be treated easily, while only 20 hospitals are fully functioning and 38 hospitals are partially functioning, according to World Health Organization data.