DAMASCUS (Agencies): Some four years ago, as a Russian-backed government offensive pounded Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, Youssef al-Jadou and his family of 10 had no option but to flee. Today, as he sits inside his tent in the Ahl al-Tah camp for displaced people in northern Idlib on a cold winter afternoon, al-Jadou fears again for his family’s lives after the nearest charity hospital shut down due to a lack of funding.
“I can’t buy medicine for my children,” al-Jadou said, with tears in his eyes. “I’m barely able to get bread, how am I going to pay for healthcare?” Like most of the population in rebel-held northwest Syria, al-Jadou relies on cash and food assistance to survive. But recently, more than a dozen charity hospitals in the region have either shut down or downsized because of funding cuts by international donors, according to medical organisations and local groups.
Al-Jadou says his children are malnourished and his two five-month-old babies have muscle convulsions. He also suffers from a heart condition. They have relied on hospitals providing them with regular treatment and free medication. As the situation worsens, medical professionals are also feeling the pressure.
Dr Adib Abdulrahman is scrambling to keep the Haritan Charity Hospital for Women and Children in northern Idlib functioning. In December, he received an email from the facility’s main donor, Relief International, which said it had to stop funding due to budget constraints. As a result, his staff work pro bono, in order to accommodate thousands of patients every month.
“But this isn’t sustainable,” Abdulrahman said. “We provide free services to about 7,000 patients monthly.” The hospital currently operates at 50 percent capacity due to a shortage of medical equipment, disinfectants and fuel. Abdulrahman says the situation is critical. “We could stop work altogether at the end of the month if I can’t guarantee them [staff] a salary and secure supplies,” he said.
In the city of Afrin, the al-Mahaba Hospital once ran around the clock, providing emergency, paediatric and maternity services. Now, its busy rooms and corridors are empty.
“We had doctors on call 24/7,” managing director Majid al-Aqraa said, with a sigh. “The hospital provided really good services.” Medical staff and humanitarian agencies say funding gaps are not a new issue, but the recent cuts come at a time when hospitals are already strained following heavy snowstorms and rampant respiratory diseases among children.
“This disproportion between needs and funding has accelerated in recent years, with the financial crisis and COVID-19,” said Dr Fadi Hakim, advocacy manager at the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS). “Seasonal infections among children are increasing, the number of children with bronchitis has doubled.” In Idlib, living conditions are already dire and continue to worsen, with 97 percent of the population living in extreme poverty and 80 percent relying on food assistance daily, according to the United Nations.