MSF issues urgent call to ramp up humanitarian response in Syria
22 January 2025 - After almost 14 years of war, the humanitarian and medical needs in Syria are remain high. Driven by an economic decline, neglect and the absence of international funding, the exodus of medical professionals and low wages for those who stayed, the healthcare system, just like the other public services, is showing signs of fatigue.
The dysfunctionality of public health facilities and the depletion of medical stocks and consumables in many hospitals and health facilities are putting the lives of many at risk, particularly for those who cannot afford the costs of private healthcare.
Access to primary healthcare services is also severely limited. Many essential services are unavailable, and the quality of care is compromised by factors such as inadequate staffing, a shortage of essential medications for acute illnesses, and a lack of basic supplies.
In northern Syria, where MSF has been present for more than a decade, around 50 per cent of the hospitals and healthcare facilities were forced to either scale down their activities or completely shut down by end of December 2024 due to lack of funding. This issue has also been reported in refugee and displacement camps.
Failure to urgently scale up the funding allocated to the Syrian health system in volume, coverage and timeliness will inevitably bring disastrous consequences for people and will disrupt people’s health-seeking behaviour.
While MSF is committed to continue providing medical care to the people in northwest and northeast Syria, we are expanding our presence to launch our activities in Damascus and different governates.
Since the fall of the former Syrian government in December 2024, MSF teams have travelled to cities such as Damascus, Aleppo, Daraa, Hama and others, including the surrounding rural areas, to assess the medical and the humanitarian needs. Our teams witnessed gaps in the healthcare system, needs around water and sanitation, needs around mental health and health promotion and have been in touch with authorities and other actors to assess the needs further.
Our teams immediately responded to the initial needs of the population in Aleppo, Idlib and Hama governates with daily mobile clinics, medical donations, non-food item distributions and water and sanitation support while assessing further needs in different governates and have started working in one of the main hospitals in Damascus and one in the Dara governates.
Despite the cessation of large-scale hostilities in Syria, the displacement crisis, once considered as the world’s biggest displacement crisis, is still far from over. The depleted health infrastructure, lack of safe access to care, dire living conditions and catastrophic water and sanitation infrastructure in Syria raise significant concerns for the safety and wellbeing of refugee Syrians who may be pressured to return, in addition to that of the general population. Uncertainties remain, and hostilities continue on a smaller scale in several areas across Syria, causing large scale displacement.
Millions of Syrians remain internally displaced within Syria, with nowhere to go to. Their hometowns and homes were destroyed, and they lost almost everything and were forced to live in camps with limited access to primary services, insufficient hygiene and sanitation and a lack of basic necessities. Millions of Syrians remain scattered around the world, notably in neighbouring countries such as Lebanon, Türkiye and Jordan.
At the end of November 2024, over 100,000 people fled their homes in northern Aleppo due to escalating hostilities, seeking refuge in the northeast of Syria, a region that was already grappling with significant humanitarian challenges, and the arrival of this new wave of displaced people has stretched resources further. Many of the displaced stay in improvised hosting facilities (such as schools and stadiums) where conditions are precarious, as these centres were not adequately prepared to handle the sudden mass influx of people. Overcrowding, lack of sufficient shelter, inadequate sanitation and limited access to food and healthcare are putting the most vulnerable populations at significant risk (including the outbreak of diseases like measles and cholera).
While the situation may stabilise in the coming months, tensions remain apparent between some groups and communities. MSF calls on all parties to fulfil their obligations to ensure that civilians, medical structures and personnel are protected, and the delivery of humanitarian aid is not disrupted. We urge the donor community to increase support and funding for Syria to sustain a reasonable level of humanitarian response.
Cece Leadon