The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

HTS storms Idlib Central Hospital by force pushing SAMS to suspend its work in Idlib

The Syrian-American Medical Society (SAMS) and other organization operating in the medical sector in Idlib issued a joint statement announcing the suspension of work in Idlib Central Hospital. This decision came after HTS stormed the hospital and started to install communication radios on the hospital’s roof, which put the lives of patients and medical staff at risk, as the organizations warned.

SAMS’s statement – of which SOHR received a copy- reads “The medical staffs in Idlib province seek daily to provide various medical services to hundreds of injuries and thousands others displaced from their houses, through hospitals and medical facilities in the province. Medical staffs are working on relieving wounds, helping patients receive treatment and secure medicine and medical supplies, especially after the recent military escalation in areas in Idlib and the unfolding mass displacement of thousands of civilians.”

The statement referred to the fact that a security group of “Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham” stormed Idlib Central Hospital by force of arms and installed communication radios on the hospital’s roof which put the lives of patients and medical staff at risk without a regard to sanctity of the humanitarian medical work or to safety of the hospital and the lives of patients and medical staff in it.

The society expressed its condemnation to the HTS security members’ action and announced the suspension of work in Idlib Central Hospital. The society also conditioned that the devices installed on the hospital’s roof to be removed instantly in order to resume its medical work. It also demanded the medical facilities be kept away of the military actions, so that they could reach injured civilians to help and take care of them.

Several medical organizations signed the statement including the Syrian-American Medical Society (SAMS), Idlib Health Department, Syria Relief and Development, Syrian Expatriates Medical Association, Orient for Human Relief, Al-Ameen for Humanitarian Support, Syria Bright Future, Hope Revival, and the Social Development International.

The Syrian-American Medical Society (SAMS) is one of the most prominent bodies that support the medical sector in North Idlib. It also provides full support to many hospitals and health facilities there including Idlib Central Hospital which serves thousands of civilians in Idlib city and countryside. The hospital contains clinics for most specialties including internal clinic, dentistry, gynecology and dermatology, and many operating rooms.