26 February 2023 – Buildings pancaked flat over sleeping populations in several governorates in Syria when the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck on the dawn of 6 February 2023. Heartbroken mothers are grieving their young, fathers are seeking shelter for their now homeless families, and children want to awake from a nightmare that suddenly snatched any sense of safety and security, along with their families, away from them.
Twelve years of war had already eroded Syria’s health system as it responded to the health needs of those affected by the tragic earthquake. Immediately following the event, WHO provided life-saving health supplies and medicines, deployed mobile health clinics to affected areas, and scaled up its overall response to provide the support needed to the most vulnerable populations, with the focus on maternity and childcare, older people and chronic disease patients, and people requiring psychosocial support services.
