While the region is witnessing high rates of heart attacks, cancers and epidemics such as leishmania, health sector work is still limited to number of cases faced citizens in the region, in addition to negligence and serious violations in the environment which are reflected directly and significantly on health.
Health sector is one of the most important sectors that has been neglected for decades. Infrastructure of the sector is fragile because of the absence of specialized centers and hospitals with advanced medical equipment in the north of Syria.
Patients resorting to Damascus and Aleppo is a clear example of this deficiency. Although cities of Al-Hasaka governorate (Al-Jazira) includes high university rates, especially in medical and health sector, yet, hasn’t experienced ann advancement in health facilities field in contrast.
The governorate is served by five public hospitals, the largest of which is in Qamishli city with 200 beds. Most of its services are provided free of charge and sponsored by the Ministry of Health in Syrian government, in addition to 10 private hospitals in Qamishli as well as a military hospital related to Self-Administration and a special hospital for Eye and Heart, recently opened.
Fragile health structure
There is lack of special developed equipment for specific diseases in public hospitals in Al-Jazira region, where there are no special centers for cancer, although the region has been witnessing the highest rates of this disease for several years due to deterioration of environmental and health situation resulting from the spread of oil in the region, and methods of primitive and semi-primitive extraction in recent years, leaving waste and hazardous residues on health, especially for neighboring populations.
The region is also witnessing high rates of heart attacks, percentage of deaths due to heart disease and stroke is high in comparison with other fatal diseases except traffic accidents and other external causes.
Patients are still resorting to Damascus hospitals for treatment due to developed medical equipment and specialized hospitals for different diseases such as Children Hospital and Al-Beyrouni Hospital.
Damascus governorate contains 15 hospitals affiliated to Ministry of Health and Ministry of Higher Education, they include 3613 beds with a population of 1.754.000 according to 2011 statistics.
While Homs governorate contains 16 hospitals and its population is 1.803.000 according to last statistics, but Al-Hasaka governorate has only 5 hospitals though its population is about 1.512.000.
This region, as Hassan Amin, a cardiologist, said to North Press has been called remote areas since the establishment of Syrian Republic. Therefore, it was neglected from all fields including the health one.
Dr. Amin sees that patients resort to Damascus hospitals not because of lack of experience, “most of our doctors graduated from Syrian universities and they were pioneers in their studies, but it is a matter of fragile health structure in the area, it can be said that it doesn’t exist at all.”
Ramadan Majid, cardiac catheter specialist, described health sector to North Press as “weak, we are talking about a single specialized center for cardiology in eastern Euphrates as a whole.”
Health board and directorate
For years, Al-Jazira area has been witnessing dual administrative in city centers as Qamishli and Al-Hasaka where the announced Self-Administration institutions in 2014 and Syrian government institutions are both active there.
Health sector is run by Self-Administration, including National hospital in Al-Hasaka that is run by health board in Self-Administration, except forvPublic Hospital in Qamishli where it is still being run by health directorate of Syrian government, other hospitals are being run by Self-Administration.
Except in a narrow and informal range, there is no coordination between the two administrations. This has an effect on health sector where health and ecology board try to control that by opening dozens of health facilities and medical academy as well as some hospitals, and recently, opening a hospital of heart and eye diseases in Qamishli.
Health board has recently stressed on doctors and sector workers including laboratories and pharmacies to register their names in order not to be prevented from continuing their work in Self-Administration areas. Manal Muhammad, co-chair of health and ecology board in Self-Administration, said to North Press that “they are trying to prepare a database for master plans in the sector.”
After last campaign of warnings and irregularities, Self-Administration has recorded 63 clinics, 46 laboratories, 26 dental clinics and 697 pharmacies so far, while recording is still on.
But this number is little in comparison with total number, especially the statistics include Al-Hasaka governorate as a whole due to fear of legal consequences for doctors recorded in Syrian doctors and pharmacists union.
First specialized conference
Health board held the first specialized conference in north and east of Syria, it is the first conference in both Al-Hasaka and Self-Administration areas, where the region hasn’t witnessed such a conference before.
In addition to Raqqa and Deir Ez-Zour, Al-Hasaka governorate is considered as remote areas of Syrian governorate, this leads to scientific conferences and cultural activities absence.
Health and ecology board in Self-Administration has already organized a specialized medical conference for cardiology in Qamishli city under the patronage of doctors and local specialists as well as guests from abroad.
Dr. Ahmad Yousef member of preparatory commission said to North Press that the importance of conference comes after opening specialized center for heart and eye diseases pointing out that it aims to get scientific information about last medical achievements in the world and also domestically through existing capabilities in the region, as he expressed.
Dr. Manal Muhammad, health and ecology board co-chair confirms to North Press that “The conference was the first work from scientific point of view, when we name it as first conference, this means that there will be other conferences in the future.”
The conference included a group of cardiologists and surgeons. Some scientific lectures were given through projectors, and last medical development in the scientific field were discussed.
Dr. Ibrahim Farhan, a cardiologist, said that the conference was a success, some mistakes can be ignored for it is held for the first time saying that: “As a doctor, I have benefited a lot where the lecturers were specialists and experts.”
While Dr. Ramadan Majid, a specialist, indicates to the reason of non-attending some of the doctors due to “fear state of attending conferences and activities in Self-Administration areas” while he described the conference as “good” according to existing capabilities.
Health sector in Al-Hasaka governorate is witnessing a group of crises including several sections, health facilities need developed and new equipment because the operating equipment need maintenance and change.
While the region is witnessing high rates of heart attacks, cancers and epidemics such as leishmania, health sector work is still limited to number of cases faced citizens in the region, in addition to negligence and serious violations in the environment which are reflected directly and significantly on health.
The most dangerous is medical wastes that accumulates in landfills in tons, where 10% of medical waste of the total public waste pollutes what remains of it. As a result, diseases spread like a silent killer.
In new administrative divisions in Self-Administration in north and east of Syria, the institution concerned with health sector was named “health and ecology board” and it is a name that may carry what cannot be carried.
Environment is the most vulnerable to violations, is one of the most important factors in disease increases or deterioration of existing ones which the administration negligence contributes to increase. Fragile health structure that requires strong steps, is in need of huge work and budgets and a schedule that it isn’t short.
Qamishli-Abbas Mousa\ Ibrahim Al-Ibrahimi– NPA