Following the appointment of the new Syrian government, the members of Mehad’s Board of Directors travelled to Syria. The aim was to meet the new authorities and discuss the future of the country’s healthcare system, which is on its knees after 13 years of war and international sanctions. Several priorities were identified by the members of the NGO, including reopening the university hospitals and setting up mobile clinics for the many internally displaced people in the country.
For the members of Mehad’s board of directors, most of whom are also among the founders of the NGO, this first trip to Syria following the fall of Bashar-el-Assad’s regime was by no means insignificant: for many, it was the first time they had had the opportunity to return to certain towns in areas formerly under government control, such as Damascus or Aleppo.
It was an emotional moment, but also a crucial one for putting in place, in collaboration with the new authorities, an action plan to help rebuild the Syrian healthcare system as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Mehad meets the Minister for Health and the Minister for Social Affairs
The team was able to meet with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (responsible for coordinating the registration of NGOs in Syria).
It was an opportunity for the Minister of Health to give our team an overview of the Syrian health system, which is now almost totally destroyed and, until 8 December, was still very fragmented.
At the time of the latest review by the new authorities, only 16.4% of the country’s 1,777 healthcare facilities were operational, and most of these only partially.
Many health centres have been the target of attacks or bombings. No investment has been made in recent years to restore the infrastructure or the healthcare system as a whole. The international embargo weighed heavily, and still does, on supplies of consumables and medical equipment. As for health professionals, many have left the country in recent years without being replaced.
The Minister for Health, who was very impressed by Mehad’s work over the last 12 years in Syria, both in terms of medical training and support for health centres, was very much in favour of maintaining all these activities, with the future aim of developing Mehad’s work throughout the country.
This objective has been confirmed by the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, who is in favour of registering the NGO so that it can operate fully throughout the country as soon as the lifting of sanctions allows.
Major shortages of medicines, equipment and healthcare professionals
Mehad’s team also took advantage of the trip to meet local health directors in Damascus and Aleppo, and to visit the Aleppo University Hospital, the largest in the region, to gauge the needs on the ground.
This was an opportunity to note the major shortages in terms of medicines, consumables and equipment, but also in terms of human resources, as the teams were both inadequate and, in some cases, lacking in training in certain areas.
Training and mobile clinics: the priority responses envisaged
For Mehad, the trip was an opportunity to identify relevant responses to be implemented as a matter of urgency to meet priority health needs:
- Bringing the country’s main university hospitals back into full operation as quickly as possible, by supplying medicines, consumables and equipment, and providing training for healthcare workers.
One of the actions envisaged, and one of the quickest to implement, is to send French doctors on short missions to provide training in their specialities to interns at university centres. This is an area in which Mehad’s training expertise should prove invaluable.
- The development of mobile clinics, mainly in isolated areas and for the large number of internally displaced people in the country. Here again, Mehad’s extensive experience in this field will be invaluable in ensuring that the action taken is effective and relevant.
- Rebuilding and reopening as many health centres as possible in the country.
Coordination with all the NGOs present on the ground to provide the best possible response to the needs, which remain immense in the country.
To carry out this action plan, Mehad needs your support. You have been there to support the Syrian people during more than 13 years of conflict: now that the country is entering a crucial phase in its reconstruction, the Syrians need your help more than ever! Thank you for your support.
