Syria cannot heal without a rebuilt health system
Key takeaways
- Many Syrian returnees cannot access proper healthcare.
- xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo.
- While the EU is demonstrating what strategic investment can achieve, the gap between the conditions returnees face and what they need for a healthy life remains a major barrier for the country’s recovery.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Many Syrian returnees cannot access proper healthcare. Urgent action is required for Syria’s health system to recover.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo. A damaged ambulance and hospital at a site hit by an air raid, in Kafr Takharim, northwest of Idlib city, Syria, on April 25, 2017 [Ammar Abdullah/Reuters]Last week, European Union and Syrian officials met in Brussels for high-level talks on the country’s reconstruction. The EU’s support for Syria’s health system, including 14 million euros ($16.25m) to rehabilitate Ar-Rastan Hospital in Homs, is a significant contribution that merits recognition.
While the EU is demonstrating what strategic investment can achieve, the gap between the conditions returnees face and what they need for a healthy life remains a major barrier for the country’s recovery. After 14 years of conflict, Syria is facing a public health crisis that no government can address on its own.