The WHO’s interim representative in Syria, Christina Bethke, reported that 417 health centers have been affected since mid-year due to reduced funding, while 366 medical facilities have been forced to suspend or reduce their services.

During a UN press conference held via videoconference from Damascus, Bethke noted that 7.4 million people are already suffering the consequences of reduced access to medicines and treatments.

In the last two months, she added, 210,000 medical referrals and 122,000 trauma consultations could not be attended to, while 13,700 births were recorded without the assistance of qualified personnel and 89,000 mental health consultations went unattended.

According to the official, only 58% of hospitals and 23% of primary care centers are fully operational, amidst an acute shortage of medicines, electricity, and medical equipment, which keeps services in a critical state.

Bethke emphasized that some three million refugees and internally displaced persons returning to the country are heading to areas with poor medical infrastructure and staff shortages, increasing the pressure on an already weakened system.

Among the most serious cases, she mentioned Al-Hasakdh National Hospital, the only public facility serving more than 300,000 people in the northeast of the country, which could close permanently at the end of December if international support is not renewed.

According to the United Nations, the health sector’s financial needs for 2025 amount to $565 million, but to date only 20% has been covered.

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