The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Supporting public healthcare services in Syria
In response to the ongoing crisis in Syria, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNOPS delivered life-saving medical equipment to healthcare facilities throughout the country with funding from the government of Japan.
The delivery of medical equipment in Syria – worth over $12 million – comes at a critical time. Nine years into the conflict, more than half of the country’s public hospitals and healthcare centres are either closed or only partially functioning. Over two thirds of functioning facilities have reported dire shortages of medicines and supplies. And in many governorates affected by the conflict, medical equipment has either been destroyed or is malfunctioning.
While medical equipment in safe areas remains largely functional, hospitals and healthcare centres in these locations are overwhelmed with an increasing amount of people seeking medical assistance.
“The generous contribution from the government of Japan has enabled WHO and UNOPS to procure advanced medical equipment to help mitigate the suffering of patients and their families,” said Ms. Elizabeth Hoff, WHO Representative in Syria.
People who were previously forced to travel long distances in search of healthcare can now get the help they need in their own governorates.
Amid ruins, the Ibn Al Walid Hospital is currently the only functioning national hospital in Homs governorate – home to over 1.8 million people – and is one of several healthcare facilities benefiting from the new equipment. Severely damaged during the conflict, the hospital has recently been rehabilitated and is once again providing essential healthcare services to tens of thousands of people, including returning internally displaced persons.
WHO and UNOPS delivered 12 pieces of state-of-the-art medical equipment including X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines to help the hospital increase the quality and scope of the services it provides. The X-ray machine alone is helping more than 50 patients benefit from radiology services every day.
“We are proud to support the government of Japan and WHO in this essential project to bolster healthcare services for Syrians,” said Usman Akram, UNOPS Director in Amman.
