Syria, the earthquake has destroyed health facilities and prevents access to medical care for the many who need it

JINDIRES (North-West Syria) – In these parts, due to the earthquake and an already difficult situation, after 12 years of conflict, the conditions of the population are – to put it mildly – worrying with a health service at the limit of its ability to carry out even the slightest action . To date, 52 health facilities have been damaged and 15 of these are no longer functioning, seriously limiting the population’s access to medical care. In Jindires, a city in Aleppo province and one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake, 60% of buildings were destroyed and 90% of buildings were damaged. In a camp for displaced people where 270 families left homeless after the earthquake live, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has activated a mobile clinic carrying out 1,550 medical visits and 670 mental health support sessions.

Guaranteed however guaranteed emergency caesareans and deliveries. “Driving through the streets of Jindires – says Enrique Garcia, project coordinator of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in North Aleppo – we have seen the devastation. Some neighborhoods are completely destroyed and many buildings are damaged, including the MSF-supported maternity centre, where we have guaranteed safe deliveries, emergency caesareans and neonatal care in collaboration with a local partner”. To ensure the continuity of essential services such as maternity and paediatrics, MSF, in collaboration with a local organisation, has supported the setting up of a field hospital dedicated to women and children and offers pediatric visits, medical care, safe deliveries and sexual and reproductive health care. More than 1,000 patients are treated, while those in need of specialist care are transferred to other hospitals.

“Everyone has escaped from Jindires.” “The entire population of Jindires has been forced to abandon their homes” – says Garcia – “Those who have decided not to leave the city live in the camp for displaced persons or in tents near their damaged houses and among them there are also pregnant women and children who need medical attention. In collaboration with our local partner, we want to guarantee them access to essential health services and we are taking action to improve the conditions of the health facilities we support”. In the first hours after the earthquake, MSF immediately took action to support hospitals and health centers in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo to cope with the large influx of wounded, providing them with emergency and surgical kits and medical supplies. Nearly two months after the earthquake, a larger and more comprehensive response is needed to restore the health system and ensure continuity of health services for the population of northwestern Syria.

He treats people in tents. “Health care facilities are overloaded and lack resources. Staff work in harsh conditions, sometimes in non-permanent structures such as tents and with insufficient medical supplies and tools to meet the needs of the population. Further support is urgently needed to restore the health system in northwest Syria and ensure timely and sustainable healthcare for the population,” adds Garcia of MSF. Even before the earthquake, the health system in northwestern Syria was devastated by 12 years of war. Healthcare personnel are often forced to work in multiple hospitals to make up for severe staff shortages, and most healthcare facilities are short of essential medical supplies and medicines. Despite the difficult conditions, health workers in Jindires work day and night to meet the medical needs of the population.

The urgency of a new health center. “I was amazed by the strength and generosity of the staff” – concludes Garcia – “I met a midwife, left homeless by the earthquake and who lived in the camp for displaced persons, visiting patients in her tent. I saw a pharmacist, who was still breastfeeding, take her child to the health center to work. And I met many other people who have been working tirelessly since day one, despite having also been affected by the aftermath of the earthquake”. MSF teams in Jindires and other affected areas in Aleppo and Idlib provinces are tailoring their response to the needs of the population and are taking action to support health facilities, provide medical and mental health services, distribute basic necessities to affected families and deploy water and sanitation systems in IDP camps. A top priority now is to support the construction of a new maternity center that can replace the one destroyed by the earthquake and provide a safe and suitable space for women to give birth.