2020 was undoubtedly a challenging year for healthcare workers around the globe, yet it brought us together in ways we couldn’t even imagine. It showed us the best of what humanity has to offer through the determination of medical personnel and the generosity of people like you continuing to help during these uncertain times. In the face of these unfathomable obstacles, SAMS continued to expand its operations to ensure that the most vulnerable have access to life-saving, dignified healthcare amid the COVID-19 pandemic, displacement, and ongoing strife.
In 2020, SAMS provided nearly 2 million medical services to those in acute need in eight countries, with an average cost of only $19.40 per patient.
In 2020, SAMS continued to respond to growing medical needs in Syria and beyond, ensuring that those in dire need have access to quality care.
“I’d like to extend my utmost gratitude and thanks to Dr. Hassan Mahmoud and the whole medical personnel at the [SAMS-supported] Idlib Central Hospital for their exceptional work to save my father who needed an urgent aortic surgery that lasted for 7 hours. I’m forever grateful.”
– Najdat Abu Fawaz, the son of one of our beneficiaries.
Some of our 2020 highlights include…
- Supporting 42 healthcare facilities across northern Syria, including 12 fully-equipped hospitals in four Syrian governorates: Aleppo, Idlib, Ar Raqqa, and Al Hasakah
- Providing vital care to 5,814 cancer patients who otherwise wouldn’t have access to these life-saving services
- Establishing a specialized type of testing at the only pathology department in Al-Rai Hospital for advanced diagnosis of cancer subtypes and planning proper therapy
- Providing 154 shelter units to vulnerable displaced households in Azaz
- Providing 24,087 services to 6,780 Syrian refugee patients residing in the Zaatari Refugee Camp, home to 80,00 Syrian refugees
- Supporting three centers, including an MHPSS center in Gaziantep, an autism center in Istanbul, and a youth center in Reyhanli
- Distributing medical supplies and PPE to hospitals across the region struggling to cope with soaring COVID-19 cases
- Hosting a total of 85 COVID-19 webinars hosted in both English and Arabic with 103,596 views across social media platforms
- Distributing 54,268 items of PPE, providing 5,530 meals for frontline healthcare workers in the US, and giving appreciation awards to 315 COVID-19 and ICU nursing staff
“We can’t turn a blind eye and say these missions are too expensive. They’re the anchors of their families.”
– Dr. Akhter, SAMS Volunteer
Our achievements would be inconceivable without the support of our donors, staff, members, and tireless medical workers. As we embark on new challenges and endeavors in 2021, please join us in ensuring that no one is left untreated in the face of crisis and continue to support the most vulnerable during these unprecedented times.
