As the Syrian conflict enters its eighth year, the country’s healthcare system continues to be decimated and services disrupted. Medical facilities have been deliberately and systematically targeted. Many physicians have fled the country and hundreds have been killed. This has left a deeply depleted health sector in which the remaining medical staff are struggling to fill the gaps. The conflict has also caused critical shortages of medical equipment and supplies, pushing medical personnel to seek alternative means of providing adequate treatment to patients in need.
In its newest report, “Disrupted Health Care In Syria: The State of Reproductive Health,” SAMS documents the impact of the conflict on the provision of reproductive health within Syria. It recounts the challenges faced by medical workers and patients in Dara’a, Idlib, and East Ghouta, and highlights the resilience demonstrated by reproductive health providers in the face of adversity and unimaginable challenges, ranging from siege to lack of medical supplies and personnel.
Read The Full Report Here
The report relies on two primary sources of information: quantitative data from records collected by SAMS staff and medical workers in the Dara’a, Idlib, and East Ghouta regions of Syria between September 2017 and March 2018; and 21 semi-structured, key informant interviews (KIIs) with reproductive healthcare providers at SAMS facilities in the same three regions.
The impacts found through the report show a drastic rise in risk to women and infants.
