Syria pledging conference: need for doctors, medicine is urgent

As the world’s eyes turn to Kuwait on Wednesday, the medical charity Merlin urges heads of state and donors to remember the urgent – and growing - healthcare crisis Syria is facing.

Nigel Young, Head of Emergencies for Merlin, said: “Three quarters* of the country’s hospitals are damaged because of fighting and targeting by government forces. Doctors have been killed in the conflict and others forced to flee. Women are delivering babies in basements and abandoned buildings.”

“Syria had a functioning healthcare system before the war. Now, we are at risk of seeing preventable respiratory infections and diarrhoea take over as the biggest killers of children. And we have yet to see the full impact - for example, malnutrition is likely to rise in coming weeks and months.”

“Funds are urgently needed for drugs, medical equipment, training and salaries – Merlin is working with doctors on the ground in Syria who are not only risking their lives to provide care to others, but worrying about how they will feed their families.”

*76%, according to the World Health Organisation