Northeast Syria Emergency
Over 180,000 people have had to flee their homes in northeast Syria following a military intervention launched by Turkey. Many humanitarian organisations were forced to suspend their activities.
We have been in the area for two years and are currently supporting the displaced population. We are currently supporting seven health facilities. These centres are providing an increased number of consultations as a result of the growing numbers of displaced people. We are currently evaluating the possibility of supporting an additional four facilities.
The team continues to facilitate the training of health and management staff in the area and offer clinical advice in case treatment. We are also continuing to provide mental health training to primary care staff.
At the moment, we are supplying medicines to eight health centres. These are mainly to treat respiratory diseases – especially important as winter approaches – and chronic pathologies, such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, we are also providing medical equipment, such as gauze, sutures, and disinfectant.
The situation in Syria
The conflict in Syria began as protests in Damascus and Aleppo against the imprisonment of teenager activists in 2011. It quickly escalated to one of the most pressing humanitarian emergencies of our time.
It is estimated that over 400,000 people have been killed during the conflict. 6.6 million are now Internally Displaced Persons due to high insecurity and fighting. 5.5 million have fled and are now refugees, mostly in the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. It is the largest global refugee crisis since the Second World War.
Due to the conflict, health infrastructures have been put under tremendous strain and over 11.3 million Syrians are in need of urgent humanitarian care.
Our work
Due to the state of medical facilities in Syria, the work of Doctors of the World on the ground has been especially vital. Today, Doctors of the World is responding to the immediate health needs of more than 500,000 conflict-affected individuals, while engaging in durable solutions to support the strengthening of the health system in collaboration with local health actors. In 2017, we supported the provision of more than 700,000 consultations
In 2018, Doctors of the World is ensuring the provision of comprehensive primary health care services in Idlib, Aleppo, Rural Damascus, Dar’a and Hasakeh governorates, through direct service provision and by supporting local health facilities and partners. As of January 2018, we are supporting directly and indirectly 22 health centres and mobile teams. We also support post-surgical centres along the Syrian-Turkish border in Sarmada and Reyhanli – where we monitor and rehabilitate those injured in the fighting.
In addition to providing medical care on the ground, our organization has continued to call for the intervention of the international community on behalf of the Syrian people to stop the killing of innocent civilians, the targeting of civilian areas, and the use of chemical weapons.