Looming humanitarian disaster | Support provided to Idlib hospital suspended for nearly three months
As the suspension of medical support provided to several hospitals in Idlib city and the northern and western countryside of Idlib continues for nearly three months, where the contracts with organizations provided this support have been expired, a disastrous situation is threatening the medical sector in that region.
It is worth noting that medical support has been suspended in the following hospitals: al-Salam hospital in Harem town, al-Rahma hospital in Darkoush city, the National Hospital in Idlib city, children’s hospital in Kafr Takharim town, the mental health hospital in Sarmada town and other hospitals in the towns of Kafr Daryan, al-Janoudiya and Hazanu.
Al-Ikhlas hospital in the western countryside of Idlib has been put out of service after the suspension of support and the acute shortage of medical supplies.
In a testimony to SOHR, a doctor known by his initials as A. A. working in Idlib Health Directorate said, “it is usual that medical support to the region’s hospitals is suspended for awhile, but every time contracts with the organizations providing medical support are renewed. This time, there is no specific date for the resumption of support, especially since these organizations intend to decrease the share of support allocated to these hospitals. In the case that these hospitals are put out of service due to suspension of support, then the people in this region will be deprived from free medical services provided by most of Idlib hospitals. Accordingly, patients will have to spend too much money to receive treatment in hospital and medical centres outside Idlib. The international organizations have to take into consideration the coronavirus outbreaks with thousands of infections are documented in Idlib. The suspension of support will lead to collapse of the medical system in the region.”
It is worth noting that a doctor’s bill in a private clinic costs nearly 50 TL, equivalent to a double of the wage of a worker in HTS-held areas in Idlib.
Another activist known by his initials as M. A. living in the northern countryside of Idlib told SOHR, “these hospitals, especially the National Hospital in Idlib, provide hundreds of medical services for civilians in a daily basis, as well as receiving a large number of coronavirus cases. Putting these hospitals out of service will compound the costs of medical treatment in north Syria region, while there will be not enough abilities for healing many diseases and operating surgeries. Most of Idlib province’s hospitals provide free medical services to thousands of civilians who can not bear the high costs of private hospitals.
“Popular fear is growing, especially with confirmed reports on permanent suspension of medical support in Idlib city and countryside. We hope that medical support will be resumed so soon, so that the hospital can continue providing medical services to the region’s people. In the present, some of these hospitals, such as the children’s hospital in Kafr Takhareem town in the northern countryside of Idlib, are struggling with low funds and shortage of medical supplies, while doctors work in these areas voluntary. There are thousands of patients in Idlib city and countryside, mostly women and children, who can not wait until medical support is resumed. Pressure has to be exerted on organizations, which had supported these hospitals, to continue their support to the medical sector in Idlib as soon as possible,” added the activist.
With the alarming outbreak of coronavirus in north Syria region has affected the medical sector greatly, as many hospitals and medical centres have announced that they have reached their maximum operational capacity and can not receive more covid-19 infections.
It is worth noting that medical support provided by several organizations to Idlib’s hospitals had been suspended temporarily on many occasions. There are many organizations provides support to the medical sector in Idlib, such as the “Syrian Expatriate Medical Association” (SEMA), the “Syrian American Medical Society” (SAMS), “Hand in Hand for Aid and Development” and the “Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations” (UOSSM).