Malnutrition, including stunting, wasting, and deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals, severely impacts children’s growth, cognitive development, and overall health. In Northwest Syria (NWS), malnutrition has escalated dramatically, now affecting nearly 5% of children in 2023—a threefold increase since 2019, as reported by the United Nations Office for the Coordination...
Since the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon on September 17, 2024, there have been 23 attacks on healthcare in Lebanon, resulting in 72 deaths and 43 injuries among health workers and patients, according to the World Health Organization. In the conflict-affected zone in southern Lebanon, half of the...
The youth of Northwest Syria had significant malnutrition rates early this year with 9 out of 10 children not eating minimally acceptable diets. This problem worsened with humanitarian funding gaps that forced the closure of 77 health facilities, including 9 hospitals for women and children. Many more are expected to...
As a result of devastating Syria/Türkiye earthquakes and a worsening humanitarian crisis, health needs grew significantly in Syria in 2023. Thanks to your support, SAMS not only responded to this surge in the governorates where our teams and facilities exist, but also expanded its operations globally to ensure that the...
Doctors treated life-threatening conditions, provided specialized care, and delivered critical training to local healthcare providers. WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, 24 Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) volunteer doctors from the United States returned from a week-long medical mission to northwest Syria, where they provided life-saving medical care and specialized training to local healthcare providers....
SAMS strongly condemns yesterday’s attack on the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine’s largest pediatrics facility, killing a doctor and injuring seven children among other casualties. The blast caused major damage at the hospital where 600 children were being treated at the time of the hit. “It was a scary...
On July 1, residents living in and around the last fully-functional hospital in Gaza were ordered to evacuate, causing concern that the the largest hospital in Gaza, the European Gaza Hospital, would soon become inoperable. On July 2, The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that...
World Refugee Day reminds us of an escalating and unprecedented global displacement crisis. The United Nations reports a staggering 120 million people worldwide have been forced to flee their homes as of May 2023, a new world record produced by the last decade plus of conflict. Syria remains the world’s...
Fallen Hero Under the Spotlight: Dr. Majd Kamalmaz The following is a tribute to Dr. Majd Kamalmaz by SAMS Member Dr Khalid Hamza written on behalf of the Psychosocial Committee. Last week, the US Government informed the family of former SAMS Member Dr. Kamalmaz that it had credible information he...
SAMS Concerned Over Rafah Escalation in Gaza; Fears for the Safety of Its Medical Volunteers Unable to Evacuate The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) expresses its grave concerns for the safety of civilians in the populous Rafah area of southern Gaza, currently facing a military incursion and a displacement of...
Malnutrition Hounds Children in Gaza: SAMS Calls for Unfettered Humanitarian Access Dr. Samer Attar, a longstanding SAMS volunteer from Chicago who just completed his third medical mission in Gaza, said malnutrition was a growing crisis there. “Every day we saw death from malnutrition, dehydration, and traumatic blast injuries,” he said...
The most significant impact of attacks on healthcare facilities has been the documented loss of life and injury. According to SAMS’ “A Heavy Price to Pay” report, a total of 123 medical staff lost their lives in the recorded attacks on healthcare facilities. Between 2013 and 2021, SAMS documented 385...
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