9 February, Damascus, Syria – WHO Syria and the Government of Japan sealed a strategic agreement to rehabilitate and renovate the Al-Qamishli National Hospital in Al-Hassakeh Governorate of Syria. By signing the agreement, the Government of Japan has demonstrated its continuous commitment to reviving the Syrian health system fatigued by the...

27 January 2021 – The raging war in Syria has taken its toll on the country, its citizens and infrastructure.  During the decade-long crisis a lot of health facilities endured destruction. According to the WHO Health Resources and Services Availability Monitoring System (HeRAMS) for September 2020, about 51% of Syria’s hospitals as well as 52% of...

22 December 2020, Damascus, Syria – Dr Akjemal Magtymova, WHO Representative in Syria, along with Dr Ahmad Khleifawi, Syrian Deputy Minister of Health, chaired a meeting for national and international health sector partners to review the findings of the recent Intra-Action Review (IAR) meeting, improve the current strategies and strengthen the...

8 November 2020 – I recently returned from a 4-day mission to Syria, where I met with officials at all levels, health workers, partners, academia, and others to learn more about the overall health situation, find new ways of working together to strengthen service delivery, protect Syrians from current threats, and help strengthen the devastated...

24 October 2020, Damascus, Syria – A chartered aircraft has landed in Damascus International Airport from the WHO's logistics hub in Dubai, carrying WHO supplies to support the health response in Syria. The 8.8-ton shipment includes medical kits and medicines for almost 2000 beneficiaries and enough personal protective equipment to protect more...

14 October 2020, Syrian Arab Republic – Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, movement restrictions and lockdowns can have as much of a negative impact on people as the virus transmission itself. Patients needing mental health services are most affected, especially those struggling to access treatment at a health care facility. In Syria, 75% of people with...

Damascus: August 27, 2020 – WHO confirmed today the first COVID-19 case among residents in Syria’s Al Hol camp. The female patient is 29 years old and in stable condition. She is being treated in an isolation area in Phase 7 of the camp, where a national NGO, in partnership with WHO, is providing case management support. Health workers have...

Within the context of the Brussels conference on Syria, WHO emphasizes that health is a human right that must be respected by all parties to the conflict, that attacks on health workers and facilities must stop, and that there must be adequate investments in the health sector 30 June 2020 – As the crisis in Syria enters its tenth year, WHO calls...

More than 210 000 children under the age of 5 across Syria catch up on their vaccines Damascus, 29 June 2020 – With an aim to maintain vital routine immunization services amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a national immunization campaign supported by WHO and UNICEF has concluded across Syria. During the 5-day campaign, implemented by the Syrian...

For the first time in 2 years, WHO has been able to deliver medical supplies by road to northeast Syria 1 June 2020 — The World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered 20 tons of medical supplies to Al-Qamishli in northeast Syria, the second delivery of its kind in 2 weeks. The supplies will be distributed to public health facilities in...