The ongoing civil war in Syria has resulted in a profound healthcare crisis and severe medicine shortages. Hospitals and clinics have been damaged or destroyed amidst the conflict, and millions of Syrians have been displaced and forced to flee their homes. This has left entire regions without access to essential medical care.
Medical professionals are leaving the country due to unsafe conditions, depleting the healthcare workforce. An estimated 70 percent of the health workforce has left the country, leaving just one Syrian doctor for every 10,000 civilians. The consequences are devastating, particularly for those with chronic illnesses or requiring urgent medical intervention.
After the earthquakes that struck Syria in February 2023, International Relief Teams and our partners delivered much-needed medicines at 36 different dispensaries, clinics, churches and hospitals.
These centers serve more than 600,000 residents of Damascus, Lattakia, Homs, Hama, and other locations, where there is a significant need for medical support. These centers primarily serve the elderly and disabled, as well as children, and women.
At 59 years old, Ibtisam, is retired and living on a meager pension. She suffers from chronic diseases (both high blood pressure and diabetes). She and her husband, who also suffers from the same diseases, need to take daily medications to be able to stay alive and manage their health issues.
After an earthquake struck their city, there was an immediate rise in prices of the medicines they desperately needed. International Relief Teams and our partners helped her access these important medicines and provided Ibtisam and her family with freedom from constant worry.
“I thank all those who contributed to this donation,” Ibtisam said. “Those rapid interventions to meet our drug needs were one of the most useful programs for me. If it were not for them, it would be difficult for me to secure those medicines.”
Roulana is the mother of Elias and Elio, who are 12 and 6 years old respectively. Elias has a skin condition, and he and his brother both suffer from malnutrition. Roulana is a housewife, and her husband works freelance jobs. Their financial situation is dire.
Elias had been suffering from a persistent facial allergy for years, requiring continuous treatment that leaves scars on his skin. International Relief Teams and our partners were able to get him ointments for his skin condition that have been exceptionally effective.
“We have benefited from the vitamins as my children suffer from malnutrition and general weakness. The cost of these vitamins is very high, and we cannot always afford them,” Roulana said. “Thank you for your great humanitarian initiative.”
At 59 years old, Nawras suffers from hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. He needs to take his medications continuously, but after the earthquakes in 2023, this became very difficult.
He desperately needed his medications, so when Nawras received the news that the medications had been delivered to their community, he was grateful to be among the beneficiaries.
“Without those quick interventions to meet our medication needs and help me with the required quantity, it would have been impossible for me to buy them and continue my treatment,” Narwas said. “We have reached a very bad economic situation in Aleppo. You provided us with the necessary care, and I am grateful.”
Months after the earthquakes, there still is a shortage of life-saving medicines and a dire lack of healthcare access in the region affecting thousands like Nawras.
