Devastated city | 128 organizations operating in Al-Raqqah provide “timid” assistance, while medical services deteriorate greatly

Al-Raqqah province: Since the elimination of ISIS from Al-Raqqah city in 2017, after fierce battles, the city have suffered from considerable destruction of houses, services, facilities and infrastructure in nearly 80 percent of the city’s area.

 

Meanwhile, old ordnance, included IEDs and landmines planted earlier by ISIS are still everywhere, which poses a threat to the residents’ safety and lives.

 

Since the city’s residents returned after SDF had captured the city, neither the official societies nor public organizations operating in the city provided real assistance to the people who lost any of their hands or legs and people with special needs, as these organizations seem satisfied with establishing centres where they only offer psychological support, speeches and gifts for children.

 

A few years ago, a doctor turned his house in Al-Raqqah city into a centre for physiotherapy and prosthetic limb fitting for two years, 2018 and 2019. However, he was forced to close the centre due to the suspension of support.

 

In 2021, a group of male and female volunteers from Al-Raqqah established a local society which could document over 2,000 people who lost one or more of their limbs and people with special needs. These cases are in urgent need of physiotherapy and prosthetic limb fitting, but they can not afford the cost of medical treatment. This society provide physiotherapy by volunteer doctors to some cases.

 

According to SOHR sources, there are over 128 organizations operating Al-Raqqah. However, they failed to provide job opportunities or affective medical services.