Reduction of medical services in Idlib, Syria

More than a dozen charity hospitals in northwestern Syria have been virtually shut down or forced to reduce their capacity due to budget cuts. Thousands of women and children are at risk if medical services in the area are reduced, and the spread of water-borne diseases threatens thousands. The majority of people rely on charitable hospitals to provide them with regular treatment and free medicine.

More than a dozen charitable hospitals supported by international donors in the region have recently been closed due to budget cuts. According to medical organizations and local groups, medical and health employees are also experiencing this severe economic pressure and shortage.

Medical staff and humanitarian agencies say the lack of funding is not a new issue, but the sharp decline in facilities and economic resources comes as hospitals after facing a heavy wave of snow and cold, with children suffering from common respiratory illnesses in need of treatment. 

Due to the war and the absence of well-known international organizations, there is no way to finance the health sector in Idlib and northwestern Syria.

Humanitarian organizations, such as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), have worked to improve water and sanitation services in IDP camps, and to provide health services, but their efforts are not enough.

Most IDPs in Syria used to rely on charitable hospitals for free health care, but services are now severely limited due to hospital budget cuts. At the same time, people are facing a severe economic downturn, and are unable to afford private hospitals.

 

_{Source and Credit: UN news, MSF}