Syria cannot heal without a rebuilt health system

Many Syrians returning home cannot access proper healthcare, reflecting a fractured health system after years of conflict. European Union support includes 14 million euros to rehabilitate Ar-Rastan Hospital in Homs, but major gaps remain between current conditions and what returnees need for healthy living. A public health crisis affects millions, and no single government can resolve it alone. Among 3.7 million returnees, 78% in Deir Az Zor reported healthcare was unavailable, and 41% of households in al-Tebni said someone could not reach emergency care in the previous six months. Shortages of staff and equipment and long wait times create life-or-death barriers. Children with acute malnutrition arrive late, adults with diabetes and hypertension go without medication, and pregnant women face risks without antenatal support and skilled obstetric care.

"Many Syrian returnees cannot access proper healthcare. Urgent action is required for Syria's health system to recover. The EU's support for Syria's health system, including 14 million euros ($16.25m) to rehabilitate Ar-Rastan Hospital in Homs, is a significant contribution that merits recognition. While the EU is demonstrating what strategic investment can achieve, the gap between the conditions returnees face and what they need for a healthy life remains a major barrier for the country's recovery."

"After 14 years of conflict, Syria is facing a public health crisis that no government can address on its own. The restoration of health services will instead require large-scale, coordinated action from across the international community. A recent report authored by my organisation, Relief International, details the crisis at hand: many of the 3.7 million Syrians who have returned home are encountering a health system left fractured and struggling after years of devastation."

"According to our findings, 78 percent of returnees in Deir Az Zor reported that healthcare was unavailable. In al-Tebni district, 41 percent of surveyed households said at least one family member had been unable to access emergency care in the previous six months. From shortages of staff and equipment to long wait times, communities are facing obstacles to care with life-or-death consequences."

"Across the 50 healthcare facilities Relief International supports, our teams are seeing the consequences every day. Children arriving with acute malnutrition that should have been identified months earlier and adults with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension are going without medication. Pregnant women and their babies are being put at risk without critical antenatal support and skilled obstetric care during birth."

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