WHO staff prepare medical supplies for delivery to Al-Qamishli in northeast Syria in December 2024, supporting health facilities with essential medicines and equipment.30 June 2025, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic – The Government of Greece has contributed €200 000 to support World Health Organization (WHO) efforts to deliver essential medicines and medical supplies to health facilities across Syria. 

“This contribution from Greece reflects a timely commitment to the health of people in Syria,” said Acting WHO Representative in Syria Christina Bethke. “Together with the Ministry of Health, this support will help ensure hospitals and clinics have the supplies they need to care for people with injuries, chronic illnesses and other health conditions.” 

Millions of Syrians rely on humanitarian assistance, and health facilities face ongoing challenges due to medicine shortages, rising treatment costs and the impacts of prolonged conflict. The support from Greece will enable WHO to provide critical supplies – including trauma kits, antibiotics and medicines for noncommunicable diseases – reaching areas with the greatest needs. 

“The initiative integrates a gender-responsive approach, recognizing the specific barriers faced by women and girls in accessing health care. By improving medicine availability at primary and hospital levels, the project aims to reduce inequalities and support more inclusive health outcomes,” added Bethke. 

In coordination with the Ministry of Health, supplies will be distributed based on need, with a focus on ensuring equitable access for internally displaced people, host communities and returnees, and on reducing the financial burden of treatment on families. 

So far this year, WHO has provided nearly 2.7 million treatment courses across Syria. The support from Greece will complement these efforts, helping WHO continue its work alongside national partners, improving access to care and strengthening health services across the country. 

Media contacts:

Halah Kabash, هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

Mrinalini Santhanam, هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

Molham, 22, consults his doctor at the National Hospital in Hama where he receives free insulin, provided by WHO with support from KSrelief. Photo credit: WHO25 June 2025, Syrian Arab Republic – “Without this insulin, I wouldn’t be alive today,” says 22-year-old Molham. “I’ve been coming to this centre for over 14 years. They’ve never let me down.” 

Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 5, Molham has spent most of his life managing a condition that demands routine and stability in a setting where limited resources and growing needs, compounded by prolonged conflict, have placed enormous strain on the health system, making access to essential medications like insulin immensely challenging. 

“I remember the moment a shell landed just 100 metres from our home,” he recalls. “I ran, carrying my siblings. We hid under a car. We didn’t know if we would make it.” 

Fear and instability took a toll on Molham’s health. Emotional stress triggered repeated drops in his blood sugar. “There were times I stopped eating, stopped taking my medicine properly. One day I collapsed and was rushed to intensive care.” 

Continuity of care, thanks to targeted support 

WHO-supplied noncommunicable disease kits funded by KSrelief are prepared for distribution to support 100 000 patients across Syria. Photo credit: WHOMolham receives his medication, including life-saving insulin, free of charge at the Directorate of Health-managed National Hospital in Hama. He is one of thousands of people in Syria living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease – which require long-term care and uninterrupted access to medicines. 

To help people like Molham manage chronic conditions, the World Health Organization (WHO), with funding from King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), has delivered specialized NCD kits to health centres across Syria. The kits include treatments for chronic disease and medical devices for the management of hypertension and cardiac conditions, diabetes, endocrine conditions and chronic respiratory diseases. The supplies are enough to treat 100 000 patients, and distribution has been prioritized in areas with the highest need, including Hama, Aleppo, Latakia and Tartous. 

“Thanks to this support I don’t worry about running out of insulin,” Molham says. “This place – the staff, the doctor, everyone – treats me like family. It’s my safe space.” 

A fragile routine, built on resilience 

Despite everything, Molham follows a strict routine: he takes his injections twice a day, avoids sugar and sticks to his appointments. He knows that any disruption – emotional, economic or medical – could land him back in hospital. 

“I’ll do my best to stay healthy,” he says. “Because of all the people who are helping me – I want to honour that.”

A convoy of trucks carrying WHO medical supplies funded by KSrelief makes its way through Idlib governorate, northwest Syria. Photo: WHO19 June 2025, Sarmada, Idlib, Syrian Arab Republic – A shipment of medical supplies funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) arrived in Idlib today via the cross-border operation from Türkiye. The delivery will support health facilities serving some of the most vulnerable communities in northwest Syria. 

A truck carrying KSrelief-funded medical supplies crosses the Bab Al-Hawa border point from Türkiye into northwest Syria, ensuring continued delivery of humanitarian health support. Photo: WHOThe supplies – delivered by the World Health Organization (WHO) – include over 70 types of essential medical items ranging from surgical tools and IV catheters to maternal health supplies and chronic disease medications. Delivered in 3 trucks and weighing nearly 20 tonnes, the shipment will enable approximately 450,000 treatment courses, helping sustain care for an estimated 150,000 people.

“Nearly 80% of people in this region rely on humanitarian health assistance, and every shipment like this helps us keep facilities open and health workers equipped,” said WHO Emergency Lead for the Gaziantep field office, Rosa Crestani. “We are deeply grateful to KSrelief for this timely support. These supplies will go directly to hospitals and clinics across Idlib and Aleppo that are working tirelessly to serve their communities.” 

The delivery is part of the wider WHO–KSrelief partnership. In October 2024, KSrelief pledged USD 4.75 million to WHO to support lifesaving health services in northwest Syria. The funding enables WHO and partners to sustain over 50 health facilities, including primary health centres, hospitals, and specialized facilities such as dialysis and tuberculosis centres.

Boxes of WHO-procured medical supplies funded by KSrelief are prepared for dispatch at the Sarmada warehouse in northwest Syria. Photo: WHOIn addition to providing medical supplies, the support covers salaries for medical and non-medical staff, operational costs, and disease surveillance efforts to detect and contain outbreaks. 

“This project highlights KSrelief’s ongoing efforts to enhance health and environmental conditions in underserved communities, ensuring a positive and lasting impact for those in need,” said Dr. Abdullah Saleh Al-Moallem, Director of KSrelief's Health and Environmental Aid Department. 

The supplies will be distributed to around 45 health facilities across northwest Syria based on identified needs – helping frontline teams deliver care where it is most needed. 

For media inquiries, please contact: 

For WHO: Mrinalini Santhanam, Communications Officer | هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.
For KSrelief: Fanar Alshehri, International Communication Specialist | هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.  

About KSrelief

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) is Saudi Arabia's leading humanitarian organization, dedicated to providing aid and relief to communities affected by crises worldwide. Since its establishment in 2015, KSrelief has implemented more than 3.400 projects across various sectors, including health, education, and food security, in more than 100 countries

Acting WHO Representative in Syria Christina Bethke during the inauguration of the newly rehabilitated primary health centre in Ma’arrat An Nu’man, south Idlib. Photo: WHO16 June 2025, Ma’arrat An Nu’man, Syrian Arab Republic – A newly rehabilitated public health centre in Ma’arrat An Nu’man, south of Idlib, was officially inaugurated today, restoring essential health services in an area which is seeing an increasing number of returns after years of conflict. 

The facility, rehabilitated with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, began operations on 25 May and provided more than 1800 consultations in its first week. Services include outpatient care, reproductive and pediatric health, emergency treatment, mental health support and immunization. 

“This centre is an important step in restoring health services in areas where people are beginning to return,” said Acting WHO Representative in Syria Christina Bethke. “With support from Gavi, we are working to ensure essential care is available to communities rebuilding their lives.” 

Once a major urban centre, Ma’arrat An Nu’man sustained widespread damage during the conflict. As of mid-2025, 90% of the city’s infrastructure is in ruins, and medical supplies and trained staff are in short supply. 

The main referral hospital, which served more than 200 000 people, remains out of service. With the nearest functioning hospitals over 45 km away in Idlib or Hama, returning families faced serious barriers to care. 

The rehabilitated public health centre ensures continuity of care while secondary services are being restored. WHO is also rehabilitating health facilities in other high-need areas, particularly where returns are increasing. Restoring infrastructure, staffing and public trust are central to recovery.

Health workers administer routine childhood immunizations at the newly reopened Ma’arrat An Nu’man public health centre, rehabilitated with support from Gavi to strengthen essential Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) services. Photo: WHO“We welcome the Minister of Health’s commitment at the World Health Assembly to rebuild Syria’s health system through a phased, needs-based approach, focused on infrastructure, services and workforce investment,” added Bethke. “This centre reflects that vision. Through collaboration with Gavi and other partners, WHO is proud to support national efforts to expand access to health care and bring services closer to communities recovering after years of crisis.” 

The rehabilitation was carried out by WHO in collaboration with Gavi as part of joint efforts to strengthen Syria’s primary health care system and expand immunization services. Since 2023, the partnership has rehabilitated 12 centres across the country, with 3 more under renovation and 6 additional facilities planned by the end of 2025. WHO’s Damascus office led the rehabilitation work while its cross-border team in Gaziantep, Türkiye, is supporting operational costs to ensure continuity of care. 

Media contacts:
  
 In Damascus, Syria: Halah Kabash, هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.
هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته. In Gaziantep, Türkiye: Mrinalini Santhanam, هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.