Syria

Syria's Civil War Forces Doctors to Choose the Rebels or the Regime

Thursday, December 19, 2013
Adnan Ismail worked as a doctor in a Syrian government hospital. But civil war led him to a farm field where he and friends labored nights in secret to build a makeshift rebel-run clinic. For a year, Dr. Ismail helped dig walls and stairs to fashion an underground bunker that was eventually equipped for surgery, he said. Dr. Adnan Ismail led a secret life tending to Syrian rebels and civilians hurt by government forces.

UN Humanitarian Chiefs Strongly Condemn Attacks on Medical Personnel and Facilities by All Parties to the Syria Conflict

Friday, December 6, 2013
Report from the World Health Organization, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and UN Children’s Fund We strongly condemn attacks on health and any other civilian facilities in Syria and are deeply concerned by the serious implications for patients, health personnel and provision of critical medical supplies.

Egyptian Government Must Provide Urgent Health Care to Syrian Refugees Detained in Egypt

Monday, November 25, 2013
The undersigned organizations are deeply concerned about the deteriorating health conditions of refugees detained in Alexandria who require urgent medical care, among them at least two children (ages 6 and 14) and one woman who are in grave condition requiring immediate care. At the very least, the government must release these cases, most of whom are still detained despite release orders issued by the Public Prosecution, to enable them to obtain the necessary care immediately.

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.

In Syria, Doctors Risk Life and Juggle Ethics

Monday, October 21, 2013
Months before a chemical weapons attack killed hundreds of Syrians and prompted threats of an American military strike, an anesthesiologist named Majid heard an explosion near his home in a Damascus suburb. He rushed to the makeshift hospital where he works and found patients with itching skin, burning eyes and shortness of breath.

UN: Act to End Attacks on Health Workers - Expert's Report Urges Expanding Monitoring, Ending Impunity

Thursday, October 24, 2013
The United Nations General Assembly and Human Rights Council should act on the report by the UN special rapporteur on the right to health about attacks against health workers and services, the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition said today. The report, by Anand Grover, the special rapporteur, was presented to the General Assembly on October 24, 2013.

Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition Condemns Abduction of Aid Workers in Syria

Monday, October 14, 2013
The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition condemns the abduction of Red Cross and Red Crescent workers in Syria and demands the release of all who are held. Although four of the workers have been released, three others have not. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the individuals were traveling to assess medical facilities in the Idlib and to deliver medical supplies. They were in vehicles clearly marked with the ICRC emblem.

An English Doctor in Syria: Pity the Children - The Horror I Saw

Sunday, September 29, 2013
In Syria today, there are many storms and relatively few moments of calm. I was enjoying a rare moment of peace, a time to exhale. It was a hot, balmy late afternoon on 26 August and I was sitting on the hospital balcony overlooking the olive groves. The sun was tipping into descent promising respite from its heat. Away from my comfort zone as an emergency medicine doctor in London, I was working in a northern Syrian hospital under the umbrella Hand in Hand for Syria – an aid group – and being followed by a BBC Panorama team, that was looking into the impact of the war on children.

Let Us Treat Patients in Syria

Wednesday, October 2, 2013
The conflict in Syria has led to what is arguably one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises since the end of the Cold War. An estimated 115,000 people have been killed, most of them civilians, and many more have been wounded, tortured, or abused. Millions have been driven from their homes, families have been divided, and entire communities torn apart; we must not let considerations of military intervention destroy our ability to focus on getting them help.

Targeting the Healers: When Governments Attack Health Workers in Times of Conflict

Friday, September 20, 2013
When the government of Bahrain responded to peaceful protests in 2011 with a barrage of tear gas, birdshot, and other weapons, nurse Rula Al-Saffar rushed to help those in need. She saw abuse against protesters, including the use of live ammunition against a peaceful crowd and the firing of tear gas canisters at close range.

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