24 hours under the rubble: 10-year-old Fatima lives to tell her story
16 March 2023 – Every day, 10-year-old Fatima leaves the tent she now calls home to meet with the doctors at Harim General Hospital. She is undergoing therapy to recover from the injuries she was left with after surviving nearly 24 hours under the rubble of her collapsed home.
Like most families, Fatima slept soundly in the dawn hours of 6 February 2023. When a deafening sound forced her eyes open, it was to see the walls of her room crashing down before she had a chance to run. It is easy, if horrifying, to imagine what went through her mind: What happened? Where are my parents? Are they dead? Am I dead? Will I ever be found? How will they know I am here? Can they hear me? Fatima Marshan is 10 years old. She lives in Idlib Governorate’s Bisnia village, in Syria.
When the civil defense teams rescued Fatima and her family, she was directly referred to Harim General Hospital. Operated by the Social Development International nongovernmental organization, the hospital is part of the WHO-supported integrated primary health care Harim network and one of the key health facilities receiving patients injured in the earthquake.
Once her condition stabilized and she was discharged from the hospital, Fatima returned to her village, but there was no longer a house to go to. Instead, the 10-year-old continues her treatment and physical therapy from the tent where she now lives with her family.
While visiting Fatima, a member of the WHO team inquired after her health. “My health is good. I still live in a tent with my family in Harim city, but I feel much better now,” she replied, “Doctors are currently changing the bandages and following up on my physical therapy. After my recovery, I intend to continue studying. I am in the fifth grade now!”
Fatima will continue to receive supervision and follow up treatment at the Harim General Hospital until her full recovery.
Syria health emergency: 12 years of crisis topped by deadly earthquake
15 March 2023 – Even before the earthquake, the humanitarian crisis in Syria had been steadily worsening since 2011. Ravaged by over a decade of ongoing conflict that has led to major socioeconomic decline, huge population displacement, the erosion of a once-solid health system, COVID-19, and the spread of transmissible diseases, such as cholera and measles, Syria was in no way prepared to face a natural disaster of such proportions as the 6 February 2023 earthquake.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been providing health care support on the ground through it all, offering trauma care to victims, treating patients with chronic and communicable diseases, providing routine immunizations, maternal and neonatal care, and mental health services, among other life-sustaining support. In the first 24 hours after the earthquake, WHO immediately responded with life-saving supplies and equipment, and has been providing increasing technical and logistical support since.
The time has come for Syria to rebuild a resilient and responsive health system capable of catering to the urgent needs of a population who have suffered extensively for over a decade with silent resilience and an inspiring will to live.
» Syria: 12 years of health emergency infographic
WHO restores Syria’s Nawa Hospital thanks to Government of Japan contribution
With a nearly US$ 1 million donation from the Government of Japan, WHO has been able to restore Nawa Hospital in south Syria’s populous Dara’a Governorate. The generous donation came as part of the Government of Japan’s continuous efforts to support the rebuilding of the health care sector in Syria and enhance access to health services for all conflict-affected populations.
Although Dara’a is home to over 1 million Syrians, only one out of the governorate’s seven hospitals functions at full capacity. As a result, access to health care has been severely limited. The newly rehabilitated Nawa Hospital will provide critical health services to almost 400 000 people through its different units, including emergency and intensive care departments, in-patient and out-patient services, laboratory and radiology services, an operation theatre and a hemodialysis unit.
“Health needs are acute in Syria. The health system has been adversely affected by the prolonged conflict, and devastation is still evident across the country. The infrastructure of essential health facilities requires extensive maintenance and rehabilitation in order to provide critical life-saving services to communities,” said Dr Iman Shankiti, WHO Representative a.i. in Syria.
“We are extremely grateful for this generous donation from the people of Japan which will aid both in addressing the immediate humanitarian health response and in supporting longer-term recovery to achieve sustainability in the health sector for the greatest number of people affected by the conflict,” Dr Shankiti added.
Once among the strongest public health systems in the region, the health care system in Syria has been so weakened by the crisis that today only 56% of all public hospitals and health centres are fully functional. In cooperation with the Ministry of Health and partners, WHO is working to build a resilient health system, ensure access to health care for all populations across Syria and reduce social inequities to achieve Health for All.
The Government of Japan is a longstanding partner of WHO and has continuously supported the people of Syria to restore, strengthen and sustain the country’s health services. Since 2016, Japan has bolstered WHO’s health interventions in Syria with more than US$ 64 million to support vulnerable people and reduce morbidity and mortality across the country.
Syria takes steps to advance polio transition while strengthening essential health priorities
25 January, 2023, Damascus, Syria – On 19 January, a team of technical polio professionals from the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Ministry of Health of Syria concluded a 3-day joint mission on polio transition planning.
The team conducted various meetings with national counterparts, United Nations agencies and other stakeholders to assess the current situation, identify the needs and resources, maintain polio-essential functions, and strengthen routine immunization to maintain Syria’s polio-free status. As part of the mission, the team agreed on the way forward to design a roadmap to support and sustain the ongoing integration of polio assets to ensure long-term benefits for immunization and emergency response.
While Syria is a polio-free country, it is at very high risk of imported polio outbreaks. In the last decade, the country experienced 2 polio outbreaks, including an outbreak of wild poliovirus following an importation from Pakistan in 2013, that paralyzed 36 children. In addition, the 2017 outbreak of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) left 74 children paralyzed. In both cases, the country managed to contain the polioviruses and stopped the outbreak in less than a year using intensive polio vaccination campaigns and surveillance.
WHO is working closely with the Government and other stakeholders to maintain highly sensitive surveillance for polio and capacities to detect and respond to polio outbreaks swiftly. Furthermore, WHO and UNICEF are supporting the country to leverage the capacity and rich legacy built from years of polio operations to strengthen the essential immunization programme and capacities to detect and respond to other disease outbreaks.
“The main goal of this mission is to ensure that the polio essential functions are well preserved,” said Dr Rana Hajjeh, Director of Programme Management at WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. “We at WHO emphasize the importance of strengthening essential programmes like the national routine immunization and also strengthening the emergency response to take advantage of all the polio assets and building health systems. Overall, Syria has integrated polio functions very well in their national immunization programme and we will do our best to continue supporting them as needed,” she added.
Polio essential functions are managed by the Ministry of Health, with the technical and logistical support of WHO. Given the importance of ensuring sustainability of functions, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, both partners have been able to cover critical programme needs pertaining to routine immunization, including polio.
“While protecting the success achieved in containing the poliovirus outbreaks in record time, we should combine our efforts at all levels to maintain the high levels of immunity of the Syrian people against this life-threatening disease,” said Dr Iman Shankiti, WHO Representative a.i. for Syria. “WHO is working closely with the Ministry of Health and all other partners to resume the robust immunization programme in Syria,” she added.
