25 October 2023 – Thirteen-year-old Ahmad was asleep at home in Azmarin, a small village in north-west Syria, when the house began to shake violently in the middle of the night. The deadly earthquakes of 6 February 2023 had begun. Moments later, the house had collapsed, burying Ahmad, his parents, sister and younger brother under the rubble. By the...

10 October 2023, Damascus, Syria – To mark World Mental Health Day, WHO and the Syrian Ministry of Health launched a 2-day workshop for media professionals to emphasize this year’s theme, “Mental health is a universal human right.” The activity aims to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental...

4 October 2023, Damascus, Syria - The World Health Organization (WHO) recently conducted a regional Green Light Committee (rGLC) mission to Syria, focusing on strengthening Syria's National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP). The mission involved updating the national multi-drug-resistant guidelines and conducting training sessions on new...

Amid the many hardships endured by Syrians, stories of hope, strength and courage emerge. Aya, a 20-year-old from rural Homs Governorate, was diagnosed with kidney disease at the age of 17. Since then, she has had to undergo life-saving dialysis three times a week. "Learning that I would need dialysis was shocking news. I’ve had to accept that the...

19 September 2023, Damascus, Syria – Last week, the Ministry of Health and WHO concluded a two-day workshop on the draft national mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) strategy for Syria. The workshop discussed the vision, goals and actions of the MHPSS strategy under development, which will guide the phased scale-up of MHPSS services...

Community health workers in the Mashhad Rouhin camp in Idlib, northwestern Syria, talk to a resident to raise awareness of an ongoing cholera epidemic. Credit: WHO//Khalil Ashawi Cairo, 6 September 2023 – Affected by conflict for more than 12 years, Syria is experiencing a protracted complex political and socioeconomic crisis. The country has...

3 September 2023– Damascus, Syria – The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with the Syrian Ministry of Health (MoH) to establish the country’s first Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC). The PHEOC will be located in Damascus and is expected to be operational by the end of the year. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the...

8 August 2023 – In order for every Syrian to have accessible, equitable, effective, and high-quality health care and nutrition services, the Ministry of Health has led the development of Syria’s strategy for primary health care 2023–2027 through a participatory process, soliciting input from all units and departments, as well as other line...

25 June 2023 – As part of its ongoing commitment to strengthen health systems in regions affected by crises, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with its donors, has delivered three oxygen generators to three public hospitals: Dara’a National Hospital, Homs National Hospital, and Dummar National Hospital in Damascus. Known as...

31 May 2023 – Damascus, Syria – Countries around the world, including Syria, are observing World No Tobacco Day, with a focus on the call for food, not tobacco. Syria's tobacco control program, led by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization, aims to reduce the effects of tobacco cultivation on government and...