Join the important side event on health and the impact of the socio-economic crisis in Syria to be convened by WHO, in partnership with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and the United Nations Development Programme. The event will take place on 6 May, at 10 am Brussels time on the margins of the Brussels VI Conference on Syria.  

Watch the event livestreamed on: 

Twitter (English):     www.twitter.com/WHOEMRO   

Facebook (Arabic):  www.facebook.com/WHOEMRO

YouTube (French):   www.youtube.com/whoemr

Join this important panel discussion with Q&A that will focus on new multilateral partnerships and actions needed now to revitalize Syria’s severely disrupted health care system.

Related link

Syria annual report 2021

The Ministry of Health of Syria has recently launched its national strategy on reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health, with support from WHO, the United Nations Population Fund and UNICEF. The strategy will contribute to reducing neonatal, child and maternal mortality and enhancing the well-being of women, children and adolescents through comprehensive access to health services. 

“Too many women and children are still dying because they lack access to quality health care, resources, and information,” said Dr Akjemal Magtymova, Head of Mission and WHO Representative in Syria. 

WHO has been involved in the development of the strategy since its conceptualization and the situation analysis, and will support its implementation through operational planning with an indicators framework and costing. WHO has been supporting the reproductive, maternal, and children’s health in many ways, which include some of the most recent work in 2021, such as: 

Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses programme through 540 health centres that received over 1 million child patient visits in a year.

Nutrition surveillance through 968 health centres that provided over 1 million services and detected 20 000 cases of malnutrition.

Nineteen (19) stabilization centres that treated over 1500 complicated cases of malnutrition.

Infant and young child feeding programme in 761 health centres, providing more than 285 000 services.

Neonatal resuscitation programme in 38 hospitals that offered different interventions to prevent asphyxia in more than 70 000 deliveries.

Youth-friendly centres that provided over 25 000 services.

Newborn care-at-home programme that conducted 20 000 home visits to detect risk signs in pregnant women and newborns and referred them, when needed, to special care.

Capacity of reproductive health professionals built through specialized training courses to 630 midwives. 

Development and distribution of reprodcutive guidelines and awareness-raising materials on pre-marital testing, sexually transmitted infections and family planning. 

“We all can contribute to the implementation of the strategy, so that mothers can experience safe childbirth, babies are born healthy and develop to their fullest potential from birth to their adolescence and adult life," Dr Akjemal noted.

Opening remarks by WHO Representative Dr Akjemal Magtymova 

27 March 2022 - 25-year-old Muhdia from Karm Myasser district in Aleppo, Syria, was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) after being examined by the TB mobile clinic. Muhdia was losing weight, coughed frequently, had fever and difficulties in breathing. Thanks to the agility of physicians, she was immediately referred to the TB centre in Aleppo where doctors started the treatment and explained the importance of taking medication for the next two years for the full recovery.

After three months of intensive multiple drug-resistant treatment, Muhdia started recovering. She became pregnant and for the fear of harming an unborn baby, she initially refused to continue the treatment.

“I was panic-stricken at the thought of losing my baby,” said Muhdia.

TB professionals convinced her to maintain the treatment and observe any side effects. The centre also provided follow up services at Muhdia’s home. She has delivered a healthy child and has been continuing her treatment.

“Thanks to the treatment and supportive health professionals, I feel much better, and my baby is healthy. It helped me get through a time of great worry and uncertainty,” Muhdia said.

Since the Aleppo TB centre reopened in 2018, it has admitted many patients. The centre, which is the only health care facility in Aleppo governorate that specializes in treating TB, provides free diagnosis and treatment services to patients from four neighbouring governorates in northern Syria.

The daily operation of the centre and of the mobile clinics is supported by WHO through the contribution of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, while the Government of Japan supported the rehabilitation. TB services, including diagnosis, treatment and awareness sessions, are provided to internally displaced people and other vulnerable populations in emergency response areas, as well as penitentiary facilities since March 2020. Since then, more than 78 606 people throughout the country have benefited from the services of mobile clinics, and 180 TB cases have been diagnosed in Aleppo alone.

In 2021, over 685 people with TB in Aleppo were diagnosed and offered treatment. WHO also helps provide financial aid and food baskets to support TB patients and their families during their treatment journey.

“WHO is committed to facilitate active case-finding to identify people with the disease and give them the help they need,” said Dr Akjemal Magtymova, Head of Mission and WHO Representative in the Syrian Arab Republic. “As low as the TB prevalence in Syria might be, the pre-conditions for contracting TB are quite high. Undernutrition, poverty, HIV, diabetes and tobacco are among the key drivers of the TB epidemic. I believe that with joint efforts elimination of TB is possible,” Dr Akjemal Magtymova added.