Syria: Addressing people’s medical needs in Dara’a

Damascus, Syria- Twelve months after the fall of Bashar Al-Asad’s government, people and communities in southern Syria now have more options to access healthcare, as teams from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are working in this part of the country for the first time in almost 12 years. MSF staff are witnessing significant health needs in Dara’a … Read more

Battling the ghost of torture in Syria

In Syria’s prisons and security branches, the darkness of the unknown overpowered the darkness of detention cells. During nearly 14 years of war, arbitrary arrests grew more common, with many people held in custody without trial or investigation. Many survivors suffer from physical injuries, psychological trauma, and chronic health conditions due to these years of … Read more

MSF expands support responding to unmet needs in Syria

The fall of the former government of Syria on 8 December 2024 was a significant turning point in the country after nearly 14 years of war. Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has gained access to previously inaccessible areas under the control of the former government, where we were not authorised to work. The direct … Read more

Syria: MSF opens emergency room in Daraya

Daraya, Syria– After 14 years of war, Syria has been left with large-scale destruction, massive displacement, economic hardship and a lack of basic services, including healthcare. In response, international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has started planning how best to meet people’s needs in areas where its teams were unable to work … Read more

Syria: MSF mobile clinics bring care to the neglected region of east Ghouta

After years of neglect, east Ghouta, a region located only 10 kilometres from Damascus, shows little signs of normalcy, the streets lined with the ruins of buildings are empty of the signs of life. The people here are struggling under the strain of overwhelming economic hardship. Years of health facility closures have left huge needs … Read more

Syria: Obstacles to maternity care shatter women’s hopes for a safe pregnancy

The 13-year-long war in Syria, the earthquake in February 2023 and the lack of international support to rebuild healthcare infrastructure have deprived pregnant women and new mothers of their most fundamental right of access to adequate and dignified maternity care, especially during pregnancy and childbirth. This basic right is becoming elusive for pregnant women and … Read more

Syria: The invisible wounds that quietly deepen

After more than 13 years of war, displacement and ongoing humanitarian crises, the inevitable outcome of this suffering is a widespread mental health crisis that is affecting countless people. At the end of a suicide awareness session, my patients told me, ‘We love life if we find a way to it,’ quoting the renowned Palestinian … Read more

The humanitarian isolation of northwest Syria must be prevented

Amman, 5 July, 2023 – Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders (MSF) calls on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to renew the cross-border resolution (UNSCR 2672) for the delivery of humanitarian aid into northwest Syria. Ensuring increased, expanded, and sustainable humanitarian access through all possible means and crossing points is crucial, to secure the … Read more

MSF’s response to earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria

On February 6, 2023, magnitude 7.8 and 7.6 earthquakes struck southeast Türkiye and northwest of Syria, between 4:17 and 4:30 a.m. local time. The initial earthquake, which was centred near Gaziantep in south central Türkiye was the deadliest earthquake to hit the region in twenty years. Since then, over 22 thousand aftershocks have happened and … Read more

Northwest Syria: MSF expands relief efforts and sets up mobile clinics in quake-hit areas

At 4.17 on the morning of Monday 6 February, Mohammad and his family were shaken awake by the first of two massive earthquakes which hit large parts of northwest Syria and south Türkiye. “When the earthquake shook all the buildings, my wife and I took our children and ran to the school playground,” says Mohammad. … Read more