Exploring Syria’s healthcare crisis, including emerging diseases, chronic illnesses, the disintegrating state of healthcare facilities and the declining number of medical professionals. https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/health/rss en Civil Society Health Fri, 30 Mar 2018 11:00:00 +0000 Abdullah https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2018/03/30/personal-essay-caring-for-mental-health-under-the-bombs https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2018/03/30/personal-essay-caring-for-mental-health-under-the-bombs In this installment of our series of diaries from Syrian care providers, Abdullah, a psychosocial community health worker with a local partner of the International Rescue Committee in Idlib, discusses his work helping families cope with depression and other mental health issues that are rampant across the city. Health Human Rights War Economy Mon, 12 Mar 2018 10:00:00 +0000 DR. Ahmad Tarakji https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2018/03/12/after-massacre-in-ghouta-aleppo-e-u-states-must-not-fund-reconstruction https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2018/03/12/after-massacre-in-ghouta-aleppo-e-u-states-must-not-fund-reconstruction E.U. states must take action over putting an end to violence against civilians in East Ghouta by holding the perpetrators accountable and refusing to fund reconstruction efforts until the attacks stop, says SAMS president Dr. Ahmad Tarakji. Civil Society Health Human Rights Thu, 01 Mar 2018 12:10:00 +0000 Kim Bode, Alessandria Masi, Hashem Osseiran https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2018/03/01/deeply-talks-the-humanitarian-catastrophe-in-eastern-ghouta https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2018/03/01/deeply-talks-the-humanitarian-catastrophe-in-eastern-ghouta In the latest installment of our Deeply Talks, Dr. Annie Sparrow, assistant professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Dr. Mohamad Katoub, advocacy manager for the Syrian American Medical Society, discuss the deteriorating healthcare situation in Eastern Ghouta. Displacement Health Human Rights Mon, 26 Feb 2018 11:50:00 +0000 Abdulkarim Ekzayez https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2018/02/26/attacks-on-healthcare-look-like-a-strategy-for-forced-displacement https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2018/02/26/attacks-on-healthcare-look-like-a-strategy-for-forced-displacement There is reason to suspect health facilities are being deliberately targeted in eastern Ghouta in a bid to weaken the resilience of the community and make it more amenable to evacuation, writes Syrian doctor and fellow at Chatham House, Abdulkarim Ekzayez. Health Human Rights Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces Thu, 22 Feb 2018 11:40:00 +0000 Areeb Ullah https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2018/02/22/braving-bombs-health-workers-struggle-to-save-lives-in-eastern-ghouta https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2018/02/22/braving-bombs-health-workers-struggle-to-save-lives-in-eastern-ghouta The Syrian government has targeted a number of hospitals and medical clinics in East Ghouta recently, complicating attempts to provide life-saving care to the nearly 400,000 people trapped under bombardment, writes journalist Areeb Ullah. Civil Society Health Fri, 09 Feb 2018 05:00:00 +0000 Fadi Al Dairi https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2018/02/09/the-story-of-kfr-nobol-hospital-41-minutes-of-hell https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2018/02/09/the-story-of-kfr-nobol-hospital-41-minutes-of-hell After the first airstrike hit near the hospital, those inside knew they would soon be targeted, writes Fadi Al Dairi, the Syria country director for Hand in Hand. The next 41 minutes were ones of fear. Health Human Rights Wed, 31 Jan 2018 08:10:00 +0000 Alessandria Masi https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2018/01/31/no-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-in-eastern-ghouta-sparrow https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2018/01/31/no-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-in-eastern-ghouta-sparrow Amid unprecedented pressures on healthcare facilities in Eastern Ghouta, and the repeated failure to deliver life-saving aid, time is running out to improve the humanitarian situation and mitigate misery in the Damascus suburb, says medical researcher Dr. Annie Sparrow. Health Wed, 03 Jan 2018 10:38:39 +0000 Alexandra Bradford https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2018/01/03/the-syrian-doctor-building-an-underground-hospital-for-women-and-girls-2 https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2018/01/03/the-syrian-doctor-building-an-underground-hospital-for-women-and-girls-2 With Syria’s healthcare system crippled by conflict, women and children are dying from treatable illnesses. One doctor and his team are providing them safe, dedicated medical care by building hospitals below ground, out of the reach of airstrikes. Education Health Mon, 30 Oct 2017 12:03:27 +0000 Al-Fanar Media Reporting Team https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/10/30/the-difficulty-of-studying-medicine-in-times-of-war https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/10/30/the-difficulty-of-studying-medicine-in-times-of-war Years of war and attacks on healthcare have led to a severe lack of doctors in Syria. Amid ongoing fighting and tightening sieges, Syrian medical school students struggle to pass their classes and get practical training, reports Al-Fanar Media. Civil Society Health Thu, 21 Sep 2017 12:41:00 +0000 Mahmoud Mustafa https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/09/21/chronicle-of-care-providing-health-services-for-millions-of-syrians https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/09/21/chronicle-of-care-providing-health-services-for-millions-of-syrians In the first in our series of diary entries from Syrian doctors, Mahmoud Mustafa, director of the Independent Doctors Association, explains how he went from being an eye surgeon in Aleppo to providing emergency care amid attacks, sporadic aid access and exhaustion. Health Wed, 06 Sep 2017 10:32:08 +0000 Dr. Ibrahim al-Masri https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/09/06/a-doctors-duty-is-not-disrupted-by-war-2 https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/09/06/a-doctors-duty-is-not-disrupted-by-war-2 Neither the Syrian war nor the severe restrictions of exile in Lebanon could keep Dr. Ibrahim al-Masri from his work. The Syrian doctor, now resettled in Canada, tells his story of fighting for the rights and health of refugees. Health Thu, 31 Aug 2017 14:21:51 +0000 Alexandra Bradford https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/08/31/in-syrias-war-mental-health-is-the-last-priority https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/08/31/in-syrias-war-mental-health-is-the-last-priority Zaher Sahloul, a physician with the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), discusses the state of mental healthcare in Syria, the psychological impact of the conflict and what initiatives must be taken to address the country’s mental health crisis. Health Tue, 22 Aug 2017 13:35:51 +0000 Ella Pfeffer, Tomás Pfeffer, Alessandria Masi https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/08/22/mapping-attacks-on-women-and-childrens-healthcare-in-syria https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/08/22/mapping-attacks-on-women-and-childrens-healthcare-in-syria Syria Deeply has gathered data and mapped major attacks on Syrian health facilities that provided maternity, pediatric and obstetrics and gynecology services. Health Wed, 16 Aug 2017 12:02:06 +0000 Youmna al-Dimashqi, Florence Massena https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/08/16/for-many-syrian-women-healthcare-is-a-matter-of-geography https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/08/16/for-many-syrian-women-healthcare-is-a-matter-of-geography For many Syrian women, destruction of the country’s medical system means access to health facilities can be determined by location. But as hospitals and clinics continue to come under attack, civil society organizations are trying to fill the gap in women’s healthcare. Health Tue, 25 Jul 2017 12:14:25 +0000 Arwa al-Basha https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/07/25/in-besieged-homs-blood-becomes-a-rare-commodity https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/07/25/in-besieged-homs-blood-becomes-a-rare-commodity At least 32 children in the besieged Houla region are suffering from an inherited blood disorder that requires frequent transfusions. Though fatality rates for thalassemia are not exceptionally high, the absence of supplies and blood banks has made it life-threatening. Health Mon, 24 Jul 2017 10:27:13 +0000 Youmna al-Dimashqi, Ahmad Andora https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/07/24/there-are-many-other-kids-here-child-tells-of-labor-in-syria https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/07/24/there-are-many-other-kids-here-child-tells-of-labor-in-syria The economic strain of Syria’s six-year civil war has encouraged hidden forms of child labor, as an increasing number of youngsters take up work in dim factory buildings, dusty workshops and in the dingy backrooms of Damascene cafes. Health Tue, 13 Jun 2017 08:45:37 +0000 Hashem Osseiran https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/06/13/medical-workers-seek-accountability-for-syrian-healthcare-attacks https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/06/13/medical-workers-seek-accountability-for-syrian-healthcare-attacks Medical workers are monitoring attacks on healthcare facilities in Syria. Their aim is to provide data that can be used by international agencies to enforce legal protections and hold the perpetrators accountable for breaches of international law. Health Human Rights Tue, 09 May 2017 08:24:02 +0000 Kim Bode https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/05/09/syrian-hospitals-attacked-more-than-any-others-researchers-find https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/05/09/syrian-hospitals-attacked-more-than-any-others-researchers-find Attacks on Syrian healthcare facilities and medical workers have taken a “catastrophic toll on the health and well-being of the Syrian population,” according to researchers who compared attacks on healthcare facilities in 23 countries in conflict in 2016. Health Mon, 08 May 2017 12:47:12 +0000 Elspeth Dehnert https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/05/08/video-what-trumps-unfpa-cuts-mean-for-syrian-refugees-in-jordan-3 https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/05/08/video-what-trumps-unfpa-cuts-mean-for-syrian-refugees-in-jordan-3 The Trump administration has cut funding to the UNFPA, which provides health services to Syrian refugees in Jordan. For Sultana, that could mean an end to vital treatment for PTSD. Health Tue, 25 Apr 2017 13:17:03 +0000 Rachel Thompson https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/04/25/healthcare-should-not-become-a-casualty-of-war https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/04/25/healthcare-should-not-become-a-casualty-of-war Chatham House research associate Rachel Thompson explores the challenges facing the international community when it comes to holding those responsible for the “weaponization of health” in Syria responsible for their actions. Health Human Rights Wed, 05 Apr 2017 14:38:08 +0000 Alexandra Bradford https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/04/05/the-aftermath-of-an-alleged-chemical-weapon-attack-in-idlib https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/04/05/the-aftermath-of-an-alleged-chemical-weapon-attack-in-idlib Dr. Abdel Hay Tennari, who treated at least 22 critical victims from the alleged toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhoun, said his patients’ symptoms were consistent with Sarin gas and the field hospital where he works has run out of the antidote. Health Mon, 03 Apr 2017 14:16:20 +0000 Alessandria Masi https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/04/03/weaponization-of-healthcare-in-syria-unprecedented-aub-researcher https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/04/03/weaponization-of-healthcare-in-syria-unprecedented-aub-researcher Samer Jabbour, a researcher on the report by the Lancet Commission and American University of Beirut on the weaponization of healthcare in Syria, discusses the systematic attacks on healthcare facilities and medical personnel throughout the country. Health Thu, 09 Mar 2017 14:14:56 +0000 Misty Buswell https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/03/09/syrias-children-risk-being-damaged-forever-by-toxic-stress https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/03/09/syrias-children-risk-being-damaged-forever-by-toxic-stress The Syrian war will permanently damage a generation if the mental health needs of children are not immediately addressed, writes Save the Children’s regional advocacy, media and communications director Misty Buswell. Health Fri, 24 Feb 2017 14:05:07 +0000 Lizzie Porter https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/02/24/a-syrian-amputees-life-in-the-borderlands https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/02/24/a-syrian-amputees-life-in-the-borderlands At least 30,000 Syrians have lost limbs in the war, according to conservative estimates. Among them is Husam al-Zeno who escaped Eastern Ghouta using prosthetic legs made for a young girl and now manages an aid distribution center for fellow refugees in Turkey. Government & Pro-Government Forces Health Tue, 17 Jan 2017 14:29:50 +0000 Annie Sparrow https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/01/17/how-a-u-n-health-agency-became-an-apologist-for-assad-atrocities https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/01/17/how-a-u-n-health-agency-became-an-apologist-for-assad-atrocities The World Health Organization has become complicit in war crimes by remaining silent on the destruction of Syria’s healthcare infrastructure by the Syrian government and its allies, writes medical researcher Dr. Annie Sparrow. Health Fri, 23 Dec 2016 13:07:05 +0000 Hiba Dlewati https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2016/12/23/in-eastern-aleppo-public-health-and-medical-care-are-hell https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2016/12/23/in-eastern-aleppo-public-health-and-medical-care-are-hell Some of the leading experts on health in Syria discuss the dire situation in eastern Aleppo and what to expect now that the city has fallen under government control. Civil Society Health Solutions Thu, 10 Nov 2016 13:51:52 +0000 Al-Bassel Tadros https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2016/11/10/wheelchair-race-gives-hope-to-injured-in-besieged-eastern-ghouta https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2016/11/10/wheelchair-race-gives-hope-to-injured-in-besieged-eastern-ghouta Amid the rubble in the Damascus suburbs, a wheelchair race sheds light on the growing number of people with lifelong injuries caused by the conflict in Syria, and survivors’ attempts to reengage with a war-ravaged community. Health Mon, 24 Oct 2016 13:30:36 +0000 Alessandria Masi https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2016/10/24/the-fatal-threat-to-all-sides-of-syrias-conflict-part-1 https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2016/10/24/the-fatal-threat-to-all-sides-of-syrias-conflict-part-1 In the first installment of our Q&A series on infectious diseases in Syria, medical researcher Dr. Annie Sparrow discusses Zika, TB, meningitis and other illnesses that have emerged since the conflict began, and how failure to treat these diseases will have a lasting effect on the population. Health War Economy Fri, 14 Oct 2016 13:54:49 +0000 Yumna al-Dimashqi and Hiba Dlewati https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2016/10/14/aid-delivery-delays-to-madaya-worsen-infectious-diseases-malnutrition https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2016/10/14/aid-delivery-delays-to-madaya-worsen-infectious-diseases-malnutrition Cases of meningitis and malnutrition-related growth deficiencies are increasing in the besieged town of Madaya, where humanitarian aid deliveries are sporadic and insufficient. Government & Pro-Government Forces Health Wed, 28 Sep 2016 07:43:24 +0000 Areeb Ullah https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2016/09/28/aleppo-hospitals-bombed-trapping-dozens-in-latest-airstrikes https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2016/09/28/aleppo-hospitals-bombed-trapping-dozens-in-latest-airstrikes An estimated 90 people are reportedly trapped in the basement of the M2 hospital on the eastern side of Aleppo, and the M10 hospital is “out of commission” after the latest violence in Syria’s largest city.