Record 16.7M Syrians need aid after 13 years of war – WHO

FILE: WHO Headquarters in North (Photo by Thorkild Tylleskar/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

GENEVA – Thirteen years of conflict have left a record 16.7 million people in need of humanitarian aid in Syria, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.

“An entire generation has been born into war, knowing nothing but insecurity and deprivation, and facing shock after repeated shock,” said Hanan Balkhy, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

The earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria in February 2023 compounded the misery of people who have been ravaged by years of war.

In addition, the escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip since October 2023 has made the security situation in Syria increasingly unstable, particularly in the northeastern and northwestern regions, the health body said.

WHO statistics show that only 65 percent of hospitals and 62 percent of primary healthcare facilities throughout Syria are fully operational today.

The economic crisis, exacerbated by sanctions, has resulted in nearly 90 percent of the population living in poverty, severely constraining their ability to afford basic services such as healthcare, according to the WHO.

“We need to exert all efforts to protect and strengthen Syria’s health system so that all people across the country have access to affordable and accessible health care services,” Balkhy said.

 (Xinhua)