13 October, Cairo, Egypt — WHO is gravely concerned about the humanitarian health situation in northeast Syria, where up to 200,000 people have been displaced as a result of increased military operations since 9 October, and almost 1.5 million people are in need of health aid. Many of those affected by the recent hostilities have already experienced immense physical and mental stress as a result of years of conflict and repeated displacement.

People in need of essential health care services face challenges related to insecurity and limited access to health care. Already weakened health services in northeast Syria have been severely impacted by the latest security developments. The national hospital in Ras Al-Ain is currently out of service, and the national hospital and two health centers in Tel Abyad are also currently non-functional. The three field hospitals in Al-Hol camp have limited their services since 12 October as a result of the escalation of hostilities which has impeded access of health staff to the camp. All health facilities in camps hosting displaced people in Ain Issa and Ras al Ain have also been evacuated, with additional facilities under threat as the conflict rapidly escalates.
 

22 September 2019 –The World Health Organization (WHO) has serious concerns over recent reporting of an increase in the number of child deaths in Al Hol camp. Such reporting has provided an inaccurate analysis on under-5 mortality, misrepresented some of the data, and overstated the gravity of the health situation in the camp.

While health needs in both the Annex – which houses foreign nationals - and the rest of the camp remain acute, overall mortality rates have been within international standards since April 2019; under-5 mortality rates have remained within international standards since May 2019. Contrary to the inaccurate reporting, there has been no increase in child deaths since March and mortality rates have remained stable over the past 6 months. Given the challenging operating environment and large health needs in Al Hol, these outcomes reflect well on the effectiveness of the collective humanitarian response in the camp. 

12 September 2019 – The World Health Organization (WHO) extends its gratitude to the People of Japan for the generous donation of US$ 5.2 million allocated to equipping the paediatric hospital in the Aleppo governorate and enabling vulnerable families in north, north-west and north-east Syria to have access to proper medical health care services for children. This donation is part of the new Japanese project for the early recovery of East Aleppo, to be implemented  in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and WHO with a total amount of US $11.6 million. The 3 agencies will adopt an "area-based approach" with a focus on East Aleppo in a wide variety of humanitarian assistance, from supporting local community centres, rehabilitating the paediatric hospital, and strengthening local livelihoods.

Once the paediatric hospital is reactivated, almost 3 million medical services will be provided per year for the children of an estimated half a million returnees to the neighbourhoods of eastern Aleppo and other parts of Aleppo city. People living in more than 150 villages and local communities in the vast eastern rural part of the governorate, as well as the children coming from the governorates of Al Hasskeh, Ar-Raqqa, Deir-ez-Zor and Hama, will also benefit from additional health services.

“The rehabilitation and the equipping of the paediatric hospital represents more than ever a dire need, as it is located in an area which is considered a gateway to and from Aleppo towards the eastern rural areas from which the majority of cases come,” says Dr Safaa, a paediatrician and one of the first doctors to work at the hospital since its establishment.

This generous Japanese donation will help the hospital resume its vital role of providing free health care services and will help vulnerable families of children save a lot of the time and money they spend when taking their children over long distances to be treated in the paediatric hospital in Damascus. It will also reduce pressure on the Damascus hospital, which has been witnessing many patients coming from other governorates.The revival of the paediatric hospital in Aleppo will equally restore hope for thousands of children and their families who often stand helpless amid the most adverse circumstances and deplorable health conditions, leading them to either surrender to illness and death or spend all they have, if any, and travel for long distances to seek treatment opportunities elsewhere. 

In recognition of Japanese contributions to the people of Syria, acting WHO Representative Dr Nima Abid commented, “As we enter the ninth year of the crisis, people in Syria continue to face significant challenges that have to be promptly addressed. Japan has been a critical donor for WHO since the beginning of the crisis and we are grateful for their continued support. WHO appreciates the pioneering role Japan is playing in boosting WHO’s humanitarian response in Syria and I am sure that this new fund will contribute to alleviating the suffering of thousands of Syrians and will make a real difference for children and their families who continue to suffer as a result of the ongoing crisis," Dr Nima Abid added.

Once the paediatric hospital in Aleppo is fully implemented in 2 years’ time, it will not only improve access to life-saving health care services for children in the north-western and north-eastern regions in Syria, but will also provide training to the health specialized workforce in Aleppo and surrounding governorates. By virtue of this, the paediatric hospital will represent a model to be emulated for early health recovery in other affected areas across the country.  

Based on Health Resources and Service Availability Monitoring System programme at WHO (HeRAMS), the paediatric hospital in Aleppo is the only specialized public hospital in the northern region of Syria with a capacity of 150 beds. The hospital was hit in 2012, leading to vast structural damage and looting of its furniture and equipment.   

The Head Nurse at Al-Hikmah nongovernmental hospital in Al-Hasakeh governorate in north-east Syria. Photo: WHO/Syria 2019

20 August 2019 – 32-year-old Bayan is the head nurse at Al-Hikmah hospital in Al-Hasakeh governorate. She has spent the past 8 years in critical care, looking after emergency, trauma and intensive care patients. “Nursing is immensely fulfilling”, she says. “People are admitted in a critical condition, and you nurse them back to health. You accompany them on their journey: you rejoice with them when they make progress, you encourage them when there are setbacks, and you let them express their fears and frustrations. Not all of them do so well, of course; some patients die suddenly, and not all newborn babies survive.”