EMRO team visiting the newly established leishmaniasis treatment centre in Salah Al-Din, Aleppo, as part of WHO's efforts to expand healthcare access in Syria. Photo credit: @WHO Syria.24 October 2024 – On 3 October 2024, experts from the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and the WHO Country Office concluded a mission in Syria to review, in collaboration with the Syrian Ministry of Health (MoH), the performance of the HIV, tuberculosis (TB), leishmaniasis and vector-borne disease control programs. The mission involved field visits to health facilities and directorates of health in Aleppo, Hama, Rural Damascus, and Damascus governorates to assess and evaluate the implementation and identify opportunities to expand access to quality health services and improve outcomes.

"Our goal is to ensure that communities in crisis have access to essential health services, especially for diseases worsened by conflict," said Dr Iman Shankiti, Acting WHO Representative to Syria. "Working with the Ministry of Health and partners, we are enhancing prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of TB, HIV, and leishmaniasis to better serve the most vulnerable."

Aleppo, home to nearly half of Syria’s leishmaniasis cases, is a key focus area. In collaboration with the MoH, WHO has opened a new treatment centre in Salah Al-Din and is upgrading the existing facility in Jab Al-Quba. Early detection and prompt treatment are central to WHO’s strategy, supported by vector control programs to reduce transmission.

With support from the Global Fund, WHO is working closely with the MoH to ensure that TB services are accessible, especially in remote and underserved areas. In Aleppo, WHO has helped rehabilitate the main TB centre, which supports 12 primary healthcare facilities and three laboratories across Aleppo and Rural Aleppo. A mobile TB clinic, one of five operating in Syria, serves displaced and vulnerable populations, reaching nearly 60,000 people each year.

WHO-supported voluntary counselling and testing centres provide free HIV services throughout Syria. In 2023, these centres conducted over 4,300 tests, identifying 45 positive cases. By early 2024, more than 440 people were receiving comprehensive care, including antiretroviral treatment (ARVs) and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). All services are provided free of charge in all governorates through the MoH, also with Global Fund support.

With Syria’s healthcare system strained by the ongoing crises and displacement, WHO remains focused on delivering life-saving services for communicable diseases. This mission reflects WHO’s commitment to working closely with the Syrian Ministry of Health to expand access to care and improve health outcomes for those most in need.

Caption 1: Dr. Ghazwan Bweedani at Azaz Mental Health Hospital with a patient.

10 October 2024 – More than thirteen years of crises have taken a heavy toll on the health and well-being of Syria’s population, particularly its healthcare workers. On this World Mental Health Day, themed “Mental Health at Work,” WHO is highlighting the immense challenges faced by healthcare providers and patients across the country. Their stories reflect resilience in the face of hardship, set against a backdrop of dwindling resources and a health system stretched to its limits.

In Aleppo, Dr. Hiba Aubrey, an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor and head and neck surgeon, remembers the morning of 6 February 2023 as if it were yesterday. “At 4:17, we were jolted awake by strange noises and the ground was shaking beneath us,” she recalls. Leaving her family in what she hoped was a safe corner of their damaged home, she rushed to the hospital, where crowds of injured patients awaited care.

“Our duty was greater than our fear,” says Dr. Aubrey, reflecting on how she and her colleagues prioritized attending to patients despite constant concerns for their families' safety.

The earthquake shattered not only buildings but also lives, leaving deep emotional scars. The country has seen an 80% increase in depression and a 570% rise in stress-related disorders, along with higher mortality and morbidity rates linked to these conditions.

Caption 2: Dr. Hiba Aubrey, an ENT specialist, in an operating room in Aleppo.

In northwest Syria, nearly 20% of the population — about 1 million people — live with mental health disorders. But in a region of 5.1 million people, only two psychiatrists and 78 trained doctors remain.

At Azaz Mental Health Hospital, psychiatrist Dr. Ghazwan Bweedani not only treats patients dealing with the mental toll of conflict but also feels its effects himself. The hospital, a critical resource for those suffering from chronic conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, is grappling with severe funding shortages. “So many of our services are in jeopardy,” explains Dr. Bweedani. “We can’t even pay rent for additional space, let alone ensure regular salaries for our staff. Patients are crowded into just one area.”

Despite these challenges, the hospital’s 35 staff members, many working without pay, continue to provide essential care to 25 to 30 outpatients daily. But due to the lack of funds, the hospital has been forced to cut back on critical services that help communities.

The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day—Mental Health at Work—is particularly relevant in Syria, where healthcare workers like Dr. Aubrey and Dr. Bweedani must confront their own trauma while continuing to care for others. The constant strain has led to increasing burnout and stress among medical professionals, who often work beyond their shifts without adequate support.

“This is not just a health issue; it’s a protection issue,” Dr. Bweedani emphasizes, pointing to the broader risks that arise if healthcare facilities are forced to close due to lack of funding. The Azaz facility is on the brink of closure, potentially leaving thousands without access to care, further endangering those with severe mental health conditions and escalating the crisis.

While health workers across Syria continue to provide life-saving services, they do so in an environment where their own well-being is often overlooked, compounding the challenges of delivering care in a country that has suffered multiple crises.

WHO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and partners, is fully committed to improving access to mental health services for all those in need. Over the past two years, more than 1 million mental health consultations have been provided, demonstrating a strong effort to support the mental well-being of the Syrian people but more is needed to ensure healthcare workers themselves have the necessary space, supplies and salaries to continue providing their life-saving services.

The newly equipped and renovated Intensive Care Unit at the Pediatric Hospital in Aleppo. Photo credit: @WHOSyria.9 October, Aleppo, Syria – The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and with funding from the People of Japan, has delivered essential medical equipment to the newly reconstructed Paediatric Hospital in Aleppo, Syria. The initiative marks a critical step in restoring secondary and tertiary health care services for children in Aleppo and surrounding regions. Following extensive rehabilitation by UNDP, the hospital, which was damaged during the Syrian conflict in 2012, is now fully equipped to provide comprehensive care to vulnerable children.

Advanced diagnostic imaging equipment delivered to the hospital includes CT scanners, digital X-rays and ultrasound devices, enabling precise, comprehensive diagnostics and follow-up measures. The hospital also features an 8-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) equipped to handle critical paediatric cases, and three fully equipped operating rooms with endoscopy surgical towers. In the paediatric ward, 45 incubators have been installed to provide specialized care for newborns, and the hospital now includes a fully operational haemodialysis unit for treating children with end-stage kidney failure. Three outpatient clinics provide oral health, ear, nose and throat and neurological services, including electroencephalograms.

Two oxygen generators, three electric generators, a central sterilization unit, a kitchen and laundry units have been installed to ensure the hospital runs smoothly.

Underlining the importance of the project, acting WHO Representative to Syria, Dr Iman Shankiti, said: “Thanks to the support of the People of Japan, the reopening of this hospital brings vital secondary and tertiary health care services back to the community, ensuring that children receive the life-saving medical attention they need without having to travel long distances.”

The 70-bed capacity hospital will serve over 4 million people in eastern rural Aleppo and benefit children referred from neighbouring governorates, including Al-Hasakeh, Ar-Raqqa, and Deir-ez-Zor.

This generous contribution from the People of Japan bolsters WHO’s efforts to support Syria’s health system. The hospital’s revival not only improves access to health care but also restores hope for thousands of families who have struggled amidst adverse conditions, often forced to travel for long distances to seek treatment opportunities elsewhere.

Dedicated to improving health outcomes and alleviating the suffering of communities affected by the ongoing crisis, WHO continuously provides essential medical supplies, strengthens health care services, and ensures access to quality health care as part of its overall goal to ensure a resilient health system in Syria.

6 October 2024 – The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the US$ 5.5 million funding received from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to enhance its integrated multisectoral emergency response in Syria. The funding will enable WHO to continue delivering life-saving healthcare services to the most vulnerable populations in conflict-affected regions of the country.

The support aims to reduce morbidity and mortality by ensuring access to essential health care, including advanced nutrition services, and by delivering health services to people in need in north-west Syria and north-east Syria, including sub-districts in Aleppo, Al-Hasakeh, Dar’a, Deir-ez-Zor, Idleb and Lattakia.

“We are grateful for CERF’s continued support in addressing urgent health needs in Syria, particularly in this critical time where needs are increasing day-by-day” said Dr Iman Shankiti, acting WHO Representative to Syria. “The funding will enable WHO to restore and strengthen critical health care services and respond to severe malnutrition cases in the most hard-to-reach and underserved areas of the country.”

The funding will support an estimated 1.8 million people in prioritized areas, aiming to improve access to primary and secondary health care, bolster emergency referral systems – with a focus on children with malnutrition, provide essential supplies to nutrition stabilization centres and hospitals, and strengthen the capacity of local health care workers on mental health, gender-based violence, and communicable diseases.

“The greatest strength at WHO is our ability to reach people in need, no matter how remote or challenging the circumstances. We are thankful to CERF for enabling us to cover critical gaps in the healthcare system in north-west Syria, where we often must make painful decisions to prioritize the most vulnerable,” said Ms Rosa Crestani, Head of Office, WHO Gaziantep in Türkiye.

Through this generous contribution, WHO, in collaboration with local health authorities and NGOs, will address the immediate health needs of communities across Syria - including internally displaced persons, returnees, and other vulnerable group. This comprehensive response will save lives and help stabilize healthcare systems in the areas most affected by the ongoing conflict and the worsening situation in Syria.

Throughout WHO’s response, the funding will also be utilized to build local capacities through risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) activities and tackle sexual exploitation and abuse, helping to ensure that protection and accountability remain central to the humanitarian response.