BEIRUT – On November 16, 2016, Syrian warplanes dropped around 20 barrel bombs on the Children’s Hospital in Aleppo, disrupting services for roughly 90,000 children. Two days later, two missiles destroyed the hospital, the last pediatric facility in the eastern side of the city.
On April 28, 2017, airstrikes hit the largest maternity ward in Kafr Takharim, a town in northeastern Idlib province. The facility delivered about 550 babies each month.
On the same day, a series of attacks hit the Kafr Zita Specialty and Maternity Hospital in Hama province in just under 24 hours. The final attack, on April 29 at 2 p.m., completely destroyed the hospital, which provided 4,050 consultations, 100 natural birth deliveries and 40 C-sections a month.
More than 320 health facilities in Syria were attacked between 2011 and June 2017, which has taken a devastating toll on women and children. Among the attacked facilities were dozens specialized in maternity, pediatric and obstetrics and gynecology facilities. As a result, access to healthcare for women in Syria is now often determined by where they live.
Syria Deeply compiled the latest available data on the major attacks on Syrian health facilities that either exclusively or primarily provided services to women and children. The findings show that attacks on women and children’s health facilities have been concentrated in the provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Idlib.
The data is not exhaustive, as credible reports are unavailable in certain areas of the country. We will continue to update our database as new information becomes available, and we invite contributions.
This story originally appeared on Syria Deeply.
