By Zana al-Ali
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – Faced with a crumbling healthcare system and a lack of specialized treatment, residents of Raqqa are forced to travel long distances to Damascus for medical care.
With public hospitals struggling due to limited resources and private healthcare costs soaring, many families are making desperate sacrifices to afford life-saving treatment.
Ahmed was forced to sell his car, which he used for work, at half its value to afford his father’s open-heart surgery in Damascus, as the necessary treatment was unavailable in Raqqa.
Residents of Raqqa, in northern Syria, suffer from deteriorating healthcare services, a shortage of medical centers in rural areas, and the unavailability of necessary treatments and medications—especially due to the lack of medical organizations supporting the health sector.
Lack of specialized care
Ahmed Suleiman, 35, a father of seven, explains, “I sold my car two weeks ago for $3,000, half its actual value, because car prices are currently low.”
Suleiman had no choice but to sell his vehicle to cover the cost of his father’s surgery, which exceeded $3,000 in Damascus, as this type of operation is not available in Raqqa.
“My father’s surgery was successful, thank God,” he says, “but now my financial situation is worse than ever. I cannot support my family or my father, and my brothers are also struggling financially and unable to help.”
Meanwhile, Yasser Mohammed Abdi spent two weeks consulting ten different doctors in Raqqa in an attempt to diagnose his six-month-old daughter’s illness. However, it was only after sending test results and a CT scan to a doctor in Damascus that they finally received an accurate diagnosis.
Speaking to North Press, Abdi says, “The last doctor I consulted in Raqqa charged 100,000 Syrian pounds for a simple medical consultation, while others charged 75,000 pounds.”
Abdi, who works in an institution of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) in Raqqa with a monthly salary of 1.1 million Syrian pounds, explains that his rent is $75 per month. His child’s illness has drained his resources, leaving him with mounting debts.
“We endure all the hardships of life, yet we have no health insurance for ourselves or our families. Meanwhile, my salary barely covers rent and electricity bills,” he adds.
Need for support
Malek al-Jasem, the emergency department coordinator at Raqqa National Hospital, tells North Press that local hospitals urgently need support to meet the region’s growing healthcare demands.
While public hospitals in Raqqa only handle minor emergency cases, they lack the resources to provide adequate medical care for residents.
Many Raqqa residents are calling for healthcare services to be fully integrated into the public sector, rather than relying on private hospitals that do not consider the population’s worsening economic conditions.
Al-Jasem explains that the hospital receives between 200 and 250 patients daily and is in desperate need of medical equipment, including radiology and CT scan machines. Additionally, a shortage of medical supplies has led to a lack of emergency lab testing services.
A significant portion of the hospital’s patients come from outside Raqqa, further straining its already limited capacity.
The healthcare sector in Raqqa faces numerous challenges due to the destruction of hospitals and medical centers, dwindling support from organizations, and a decline in the number of healthcare workers—including doctors and nurses—due to low salaries.