Health System

Collapse of Syrian Health System Puts Children's Lives at Risk

Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Syria’s shattered health system is forcing health workers to engage in brutal medical practices and a series of epidemics have left millions of children exposed to a plethora of deadly diseases, Save the Children says in a new report. The report, ‘A Devastating Toll: the Impact of Three Years of War on the Health of Syria’s Children’, sheds light on a broken health system and its consequences: children not just dying from violent means but from diseases that would previously either have been treatable or prevented.

Towards a Comprehensive Response to Health System Strengthening in Crisis-Affected Fragile States

Monday, February 10, 2014
Human security crises, and international responses to them, are a regular feature of the global landscape. Human security crises not only affect the population directly but also threaten the systems upon which the population depends, which include the health system. The weak health systems in fragile states are especially vulnerable to crises that can further weaken or even destroy them, resulting in these states being unable to implement critical health programmes - such as ones addressing infant and maternal mortality - or to respond to threats such as epidemics.

Clashes Strain Health Services in Libya's South

Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Clashes and insecurity in southern Libya are putting pressure on over-stretched health facilities as the government declares a state of emergency in the southern Fezzan region. The fighting has led to at least 39 deaths, with 70 people injured, in the regional capital Sabha over the past 12 days. Residents fear the limited presence of the state in the sparsely populated south and the lack of a strong national army are leaving them exposed.

The Cost of War: Polio Rises Again in Syria

Wednesday, November 6, 2013
The outbreak of polio in the Syrian Arab Republic announced by the World Health Organization a few weeks ago is a troubling reminder that global conflicts threaten the public’s health. Violence, like the 2-1/2-year-old civil war in Syria, can lead to significant disruption and/or long term damage to the public health infrastructure, including basic sanitation efforts, maintenance of a safe water supply, basic nutritional needs, and disease monitoring and prevention.

The Immediate Need for a Strategic Post-Conflict Plan for Rebuilding Health in Syria

Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Never having been to Syria, or to an active conflict zone, it is hard for me to fully imagine the types of atrocities that have occurred over the past year. I write this blog post from my comfortable air-conditioned office in downtown Washington DC, and I cannot fully fathom the horrific conditions that Syrians face each day living through a civil war. The graphic images and tear-inducing stories of families being torn apart, children dying in the crossfire, and injured civilians unable to seek proper medical care are hard to digest. The US Government and the international community are faced with a challenging decision of whether or not to intervene with the efforts of the Syrian rebels to oppose the Assad regime.

Report Describes Ongoing Challenges in Mali's Health System Due to Conflict

Friday, March 22, 2013
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs published a new report on the complex emergency situation in Mali. The report highlights some of the current challenges the health system is still facing in the wake of armed conflict in the North, along with updates from other sectors. The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) continues to grow, with 3,500 newly displaced people adding to their ranks over the last several weeks around Talhandak, in the Kidal region.

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