Northwestern Syria Lacks Proper Medical Facilities

ACTNews, NORTHWEST SYRIA – The health status in the Syrian northwest region has deteriorated. Based on the data released by Reliefweb last April, from a thousand communities, 213 out of 1,000 communities reported that no assessed medical items were available in their community; 123 out of 1,000 women were unable to give birth in formal health facilities, and many experienced acute severe malnutrition.

The northwestern region of Syria is one of the most densely populated areas. This region is home to four million people, including most internally displaced persons (IDPs) from various other regions. In May 2019, 330,000 people were displaced as the impact of the escalation of conflict in North Hama and South Idlib. Most moved to the parts of Idlib that are located close to the Turkish border.

“Given the scale of the ongoing population displacement, mobile services are the most efficient way to rapidly increase access to essential health services by the Syrians in need,” said Annette Heinzelmann, Emergency Coordinator with the WHO field office in Gaziantep, Turkey

Health facility problems in Southwest Syria region include the lack of health facilities, the lack of transportation, long coverage distance, high costs, and the security during the travel to the health facilities.

Many residents try to do various ways to deal with these problems. About 47 percent recycle medical items, use less than the recommended dose of medications, or use nonmedical items for treatment. Reliefweb also mentioned three of the most needed medical equipment include medicines, antenatal support, and chronic disease support. Meanwhile, the most common health problems reported were severe diseases affecting those younger than five, chronic diseases, and acute respiratory infections.

The lack of medical assistance was the result of the escalation of the military operations in the Northwest Syrian region since April 2019. []