M\u00e9decins du Monde (MdM) and Mehad are urgently warning that funding reductions for Syria risk forcing humanitarian actors to choose between life-saving interventions and the closure of essential health programs. An unprecedented 16.7 million people in Syria require assistance this year, representing over 75% of the population. As humanitarian actors are often the only providers of health care, reduced funding means that access to health care will be severely limited. Interventions in mental health and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights \u2013 SRHR are particularly at risk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5047,"template":"","actualite_type":[10],"actualite_sujet":[],"action_combat":[],"mdm_pays":[],"class_list":["post-5046","actualite","type-actualite","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","actualite_type-international-actions"],"acf":{"mise_en_avant":false,"chapeau":"M\u00e9decins du Monde (MdM) and Mehad are urgently warning that funding reductions for Syria risk forcing humanitarian actors to choose between life-saving interventions and the closure of essential health programs. An unprecedented 16.7 million people in Syria require assistance this year, representing over 75% of the population. As humanitarian actors are often the only providers of health care, reduced funding means that access to health care will be severely limited. Interventions in mental health and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights \u2013 SRHR are particularly at risk.","cta_type":"aucun","cta_lien":"","contenu":"
This year, the financial support pledged by the international community at the 8th Brussels Conference is significantly insufficient<\/strong>, as it represents only 18% of the funding required for the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) in Syria. As a result, humanitarian organizations will be forced to suspend their humanitarian activities.<\/strong> According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), only 16.3% of the health-related needs outlined in the Humanitarian Response Plan for Syria had been funded by the end of the first half of 2024. The situation remains disastrous with recent escalations, failing infrastructure, and growing humanitarian needs. OCHA recently estimated that nearly 160 health facilities, including 46 hospitals, would be forced to suspend their activities if no additional funding is secured.<\/strong> By August 2024, up to 200 of the 350 health facilities in northwest Syria will be affected.<\/p>\n The lack of funding is forcing humanitarian organizations to prioritize life-saving interventions over other essential aid programs such as mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH). In northwest Syria, there are no other government service providers or capacity to take over health services.<\/strong> The region is isolated from the rest of Syria and entirely dependent on humanitarian organizations for the provision of health care.<\/strong> Consequently, when a facility closes due to budget cuts, there is no interim government body to maintain operations, depriving the community of essential medical services.<\/p>\n A study conducted by Mehad in August 2023 on a population of 1,537 people in northwest Syria revealed high needs for mental health and psychosocial support, with suicidal ideation notably high in the Jisr-Al-Shugur district (22.91% of participants).<\/p>\n In the districts of Afrin, Harim, and Idlib, where one of M\u00e9decins du Monde\u2019s teams operates, the health situation has been severely affected.<\/strong> According to an OCHA report updated in May 2024, over 100 health facilities, including 32 hospitals, had already suspended their services by the end of June. The Health Cluster expressed concern that, without adequate funding, up to 50% of the still operational health facilities in northwest Syria could fully or partially close by December 2024. The latest multi-sectoral needs assessment report by M\u00e9decins du Monde found that 80% of community members identified M\u00e9decins du Monde as their primary provider of primary health care<\/strong>, while<\/strong> only 3% felt that local health authorities were meeting their health needs.<\/strong> This underscores the critical importance of funding non-state actors.<\/p>\n In northeast Syria, another region where M\u00e9decins du Monde is present, many health centers are heavily dependent on NGO support, with local health authorities managing only 37.8% of them. Without this support, these centers often lack the necessary resources and staff. In 2023, according to the Humanitarian Needs Overview, nearly one in five people reported being unable to access essential health care. Additionally, there are severe shortages of essential medicines, whose prices have significantly increased over the past two years.<\/strong> As a result, a large portion of the population lacks access to essential health care, exacerbating the urgent need for increased funding.<\/p>\n Without sufficient funding, we risk being unable to meet these needs, leaving many people without access to essential medical care. It is crucial that the international community recognizes the urgency of the situation and provides support. After a surge in attention following the February 2023 earthquake, institutional funds quickly dried up for the northwest, even though the humanitarian situation remains extremely concerning.<\/p>\n M\u00e9decins du Monde and Mehad are calling for an urgent increase in donor support to address health needs and ensure that everyone can live with dignity. Every human being has the right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health through universal access to quality health services. The international community must act now to prevent further closures of health facilities and ensure that the Syrian people continue to have access to essential health services.<\/p>\n M\u00e9decins du Monde began its activities in 2008, providing primary health care services in the Aleppo governorate in partnership with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), before the conflict began. With the onset of hostilities, M\u00e9decins du Monde adapted its response to better meet the needs of the Syrian population. Over the thirteen years of the Syrian conflict, M\u00e9decins du Monde has been involved in numerous humanitarian medical activities to assist those suffering from the war. The complexity of the conflict\u2014with multiple actors, limited access, direct attacks on health personnel and facilities, and significant needs\u2014has resulted in an equally complex response. M\u00e9decins du Monde implements activities directly or through partnerships with local actors in Syria and neighboring countries supporting Syrian refugees.<\/p>\n Mehad<\/strong> is a French international health and solidarity NGO founded in 2011 by a group of doctors determined to respond to the urgent need to provide care to populations affected by the war in Syria and neighboring countries. Today, Mehad manages around forty health facilities in the country and faces the ongoing challenge of ensuring access to care in an environment torn apart by war since the beginning of the conflict. Mehad\u2019s primary mission is to engage constructively with local actors to ensure quality care and long-term social development for vulnerable populations. Through a deep understanding of the population\u2019s needs and long-standing partnership relationships, the NGO has developed unique expertise in addressing local issues related to emergency response, health, and development.<\/p>\n\n Photo: Ahmed Hallak<\/p>","temps_lecture":6,"legende_couverture":"","signature_nom":"","signature_role":"","signature_initiales":"","signature_avatar":"","communique_lien":{"title":"13 years of war in Syria: what is the state of health of the Syrian people?","url":"\/en\/?post_type=actualite&p=4963","target":""},"communique_libelle":"13 years of war in Syria","encadre_titre":"","encadre_texte":"","partenaires_titre":"","partenaires":null,"reseaux_partage":["facebook","twitter","linkedin","email","copy"],"evenement_date":null,"evenement_type":"","evenement_lieu":"","evenement_inscription":"","presse_afficher":false,"presse_surtitre":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite\/5046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/actualite"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite\/5046\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5048,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite\/5046\/revisions\/5048"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"actualite_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite_type?post=5046"},{"taxonomy":"actualite_sujet","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite_sujet?post=5046"},{"taxonomy":"action_combat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/action_combat?post=5046"},{"taxonomy":"mdm_pays","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/mdm_pays?post=5046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Critical Impact on Health Services<\/h2>\n
\u201cM\u00e9decins du Monde is the main health care provider for the majority of the local community.\u201d Dr. Mohammad Faris, Medical Program Manager, M\u00e9decins du Monde Turkey<\/h2>\n
\u201cWithout a rapid new influx of funds from international partners, we will soon be unable to meet these vital needs.\u201d Osamah Alhoussin, Program Manager for Mehad in Northwest Syria<\/h2>\n
Call to Action<\/h2>\n
M\u00e9decins du Monde\u2019s Work in Syria<\/h2>\n
About Mehad<\/h2>\n