With a nearly US$ 1 million donation from the Government of Japan, WHO has been able to restore Nawa Hospital in south Syria’s populous Dara’a Governorate. The generous donation came as part of the Government of Japan’s continuous efforts to support the rebuilding of the health care sector in Syria and enhance access to health services for all conflict-affected populations.

Although Dara’a is home to over 1 million Syrians, only one out of the governorate’s seven hospitals functions at full capacity. As a result, access to health care has been severely limited. The newly rehabilitated Nawa Hospital will provide critical health services to almost 400 000 people through its different units, including emergency and intensive care departments, in-patient and out-patient services, laboratory and radiology services, an operation theatre and a hemodialysis unit.

“Health needs are acute in Syria. The health system has been adversely affected by the prolonged conflict, and devastation is still evident across the country. The infrastructure of essential health facilities requires extensive maintenance and rehabilitation in order to provide critical life-saving services to communities,” said Dr Iman Shankiti, WHO Representative a.i. in Syria.

“We are extremely grateful for this generous donation from the people of Japan which will aid both in addressing the immediate humanitarian health response and in supporting longer-term recovery to achieve sustainability in the health sector for the greatest number of people affected by the conflict,” Dr Shankiti added.

Once among the strongest public health systems in the region, the health care system in Syria has been so weakened by the crisis that today only 56% of all public hospitals and health centres are fully functional. In cooperation with the Ministry of Health and partners, WHO is working to build a resilient health system, ensure access to health care for all populations across Syria and reduce social inequities to achieve Health for All.

The Government of Japan is a longstanding partner of WHO and has continuously supported the people of Syria to restore, strengthen and sustain the country’s health services. Since 2016, Japan has bolstered WHO’s health interventions in Syria with more than US$ 64 million to support vulnerable people and reduce morbidity and mortality across the country.