MSF warns lack of funding increase preventable deaths in NE Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned on Monday a number of deaths that could have been prevented in northeast Syria have increased because of lack of funding for World Health Organization (WHO)-funded medical referral system.
Allen Murphy, MSF Head of Mission in Northeast Syria, said, “Shortfalls in funding for the WHO mean that since the end of March, referrals for patients requiring specialist or complex care have no longer been funded.”
The medical referral system was implemented in 11 camps, including Hawl Camp, in Northeast Syria, according to MSF.
Hawl Camp is a home to approximately 55,000 individuals, comprising 2,423 families with connections to Islamic State (ISIS) militants originating from around 60 countries.
“This funding cut essentially eliminates the possibility for people in Al-Hol camp, where MSF works, and from other camps in northeast Syria, to access specialist healthcare,” says Murphy.
MSF added that as of January 2024, 93 percent of individuals present at Hawl were women and children, with 62 percent of them being under 18 years old and 43 percent under the age of 12.
MSF pointed out that recent service cuts have further limited options for referring even life-threatening cases outside camps.
“It leaves lives hanging in the balance, the majority of them children, some with treatable and preventable diseases, and others in need of urgent specialist care like surgery,” says Murphy.
Moreover, the organization called on donors and member states of the U.S-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS to increase funding for healthcare services instead of reducing it given the increasing humanitarian needs in northeast Syria.
Urgent financial support is vital for external medical referrals in order to address the existing shortcomings in this system, the MSF added.