UN warns against collapsing of medical sector in Syria
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced in a report that Syria’s health sector is experiencing a crisis and a significant proportion of 1789 health centres are operating at 21% partially and 32% out of service.
According to the report, the infrastructure of basic health services such as hospitals and health centers requires rehabilitation and maintenance. The number of hospitals in the whole of Syria reached 113 in 2022, 26% of them partially operating and 27% of them out of service.
The number of people in need of health care in Syria was 15 million, in addition to 6.9 million internally displaced persons and 5.6 million refugees in neighbouring countries.
Half a million children are chronically malnourished and 137,000 more children under the age of five suffer from severe malnutrition, increasing their vulnerability to unprotected diseases.
According to the report, 45% of all deaths in Syria are linked to non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, injuries, cancer and diabetes.
He noted a chronic shortage of health care staff due to displacement, attacks and low salaries, with an estimated 50% of the health workforce leaving Syria since 2011.
