How doctors from Syria’s diaspora are helping Homs rebuild its shattered health system

Special How doctors from Syria’s diaspora are helping Homs rebuild its shattered health system
Homs suffered heavy damage during the early years of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which left hospitals and basic services crippled. (AFP)
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Updated 28 April 2025
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How doctors from Syria’s diaspora are helping Homs rebuild its shattered health system

How doctors from Syria’s diaspora are helping Homs rebuild its shattered health system
  • Syria’s 14-year civil war forced medical professionals to flee in their thousands, depriving the country of critical care
  • Diaspora doctors are now rebuilding services in Homs, with a focus on chronic conditions and mental health

LONDON: After 14 years of civil war, Syria’s largest province, Homs, has emerged from the conflict with its health system in tatters. Now, as families begin to return from displacement, diaspora doctors are stepping in to help revive damaged and long-neglected services.

Among them are more than 30 physicians and civic leaders from Chicago. The Syrian American delegation, led by Dr. Zaher Sahloul of the US-based nonprofit MedGlobal, conducted workshops in early April as part of the Homs Healthcare Recovery Initiative.




Over two days, Syrian experts from around the world came together to launch the Homs Healthcare Recovery Conference, organized by MedGlobal Organization International, in partnership with the Homs Doctors Syndicate, and under the auspices of the Health Ministry.
​​​​​​ (Source: MedGlobal)




The Syrian American delegation led by Dr. Zaher Sahloul of the US-based nonprofit MedGlobal conducted workshops in early April as part of the Homs Healthcare Recovery Initiative. ​​​​​​(Source: MedGlobal)

Sahloul said the scale of the crisis is staggering. “During the conflict, many physicians, subspecialists and allied health professionals left Homs,” he told Arab News. “The main hospital in Homs City, Al-Watani, was completely destroyed.”

The exodus of medical professionals left a “huge shortage of specialists, hospital beds and primary health centers,” highlighting “deep inequality in the distribution of healthcare, especially between the city and rural areas,” said Sahloul.




A handout picture released by the Syrian opposition's Shaam News Network shows destruction in the Juret al-Shiyah and the National hospital districts of Homs on April 17, 2012. (AFP file)

Outdated technology and a lack of medical supplies, equipment and medications have further hindered care.

Once dubbed the “capital of the revolution,” Homs was a key battleground in the uprising against Bashar Assad that began in 2011. Years of fighting devastated the province’s infrastructure, leaving hospitals in ruins and severely limiting access to basic services.

“Half of Homs city has been destroyed, and several other cities were heavily damaged, shelled, or under siege — including Palmyra, Al-Qaryatayn and Al-Qusayr,” said Sahloul. “A huge number of people fled Homs and became refugees or internally displaced.”




An image released by the Syrian opposition Shaam News Network on July 23, 2012 shows doctors treating a wounded man allegedly injured by Syrian government forces shelling at a field hospital in the city of Qusayr, 15 km from Homs, on July 14, 2012. (AFP)

By December 2013, almost half the governorate’s population had been displaced, according to UN figures. In the city of Homs alone, 60 percent of residents fled their homes.

Homs is not alone in experiencing such devastation. Today, only 57 percent of hospitals and 37 percent of primary healthcare centers across Syria are fully operational, according to the World Health Organization.

Insecurity and violence since the fall of Assad in December continue to disrupt health services, endangering both patients and medical staff.

Since March, surging violence in Alawite areas — particularly in Syria’s coastal region and the Homs and Hama governorates — has damaged six major hospitals and several ambulances, according to the UN Population Fund.




Homs suffered heavy damage during the early years of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which left hospitals and basic services crippled. (AFP)

More than 1,000 civilians — including many medical students — have been killed in sectarian attacks, the UN children’s agency UNICEF said in early March. The hostilities have also triggered a fresh wave of displacement.




In this photo taken on October 29, 2015, hundreds of health workers participate in a "die-in" and demonstration organized by Physicians for Human Rights near the United Nations in New York City to draw attention to health workers killed in Syria. (AFP/File)

“The escalation reportedly caused additional civilian casualties and injuries, the displacement of thousands of families and damage to critical infrastructure,” Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s regional director for the Middle East, said in a statement on March 9.

Within Homs, the healthcare system is particularly strained. According to a February WHO report, just seven of the province’s 17 hospitals and 58 of its 227 public health facilities are fully functional. Another four hospitals and 124 facilities are operating only partially.

Patients with chronic conditions face serious barriers to care. Cancer patients in Homs “have to go to Damascus to receive their treatment,” said Sahloul. “Patients with chronic diseases cannot afford their medications due to the economic situation.

IN NUMBERS

7 of 17 Hospitals in Homs that are fully functional.

58 of 227 Public health facilities that are fully operational.

(Source: WHO)

“Some patients on dialysis occasionally miss their treatments due to a shortage of dialysis kits. These kits are expensive, with each session costing around $20 to $25.”

The humanitarian crisis is compounded by economic hardship and continued sanctions. With monthly wages ranging from just $15 to $50 and about 90 percent of the population living below the poverty line, many cannot afford basic care.

Mass layoffs affecting about 250,000 public-sector workers have further strained the system.


The UN estimates that 15.8 million people will require humanitarian health assistance in 2025, even as funding continues to decline.

Mental health needs are also immense. “There are large numbers of war victims, including those displaced by violence and people who have lost family members,” said Sahloul, adding that torture survivors and former detainees are “deeply traumatized.”

He said: “As IDPs and refugees begin to return, the burden on mental health services grows.” 

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, estimates that at least 1.4 million Syrians have returned home since the fall of the Assad regime. It projects that as many as 3.5 million refugees and IDPs could return by the end of the year.

“This means a growing number of people are coming back to areas with limited or no access to essential services like education, housing and healthcare,” said Sahloul. “All of this creates a situation that is nearly catastrophic.”

Given the scale of the crisis, Syria’s Ministry of Health cannot meet all needs alone. Sahloul highlighted the urgent need for support from NGOs and foreign governments to help sustain as well as rebuild the healthcare system.




Over two days, Syrian experts from around the world came together to launch the Homs Healthcare Recovery Conference, organized by MedGlobal Organization International, in partnership with the Homs Doctors Syndicate, and under the auspices of the Health Ministry.
​​​​​​ (Source: MedGlobal)

Aid agencies are stepping in. The UN Office for Project Services, in partnership with the government of Japan, is working to rehabilitate Homs Grand Hospital to restore critical services.

Similarly, the American Syrian Homs Healthcare Recovery mission, led by MedGlobal, has provided emergency supplies, performed critical surgeries and trained local healthcare workers in collaboration with Syrian communities.

Highlighting the initiative’s impact, Sahloul said: “Some teams began filling gaps in the healthcare system by donating funds for essential medical equipment, including a cardiac catheterization machine for Al-Waleed Hospital, an eye echo machine for Al-Harith Hospital, a stress echo machine for a public hospital, neurosurgical equipment for the university hospital and more.”

 

 

The mission, which began with a small team and quickly grew to include 650 expatriate physicians, has focused on three urgent priorities: Supporting dialysis patients, sustaining cardiac catheterization centers and addressing mental health.

“As part of the initiative, we provided dialysis kits across three different centers,” said Sahloul.

“Non-communicable diseases, not war-related injuries, are the primary health threat,” he added, citing high rates of smoking, hypertension, diabetes and fast food consumption.

The Ministry of Health has also inaugurated the Homs Center for Mental Health Support to assist survivors of torture and war.

However, Sahloul said that improving healthcare requires more than equipment and supplies — it demands addressing longstanding inequities between urban and rural areas, and among different communities.

“One of MedGlobal’s main missions is to reduce these disparities by identifying and filling gaps in healthcare access,” he said. “Historically, Syria has faced significant inequities between rural and urban areas, as well as within different neighborhoods based on their demographics.

 

 

“There are also disparities between major urban centers like Damascus and Aleppo, and the rest of the country. The eastern part of Syria, Hauran and the central regions were historically marginalized.

“By targeting these disparities, there is hope to ease tensions and begin healing a fractured society.”

Despite growing rehabilitation efforts and the commitment of local and international organizations, the scale of need still far exceeds available resources. As instability continues across Syria, both patients and health workers face daily risks.

The path to recovery is long and uncertain. Without sustained support, aid agencies warn, the country’s most vulnerable will remain at risk.
 

 


Macron says stance on Israel must ‘harden’ unless Gaza situation improves

Macron says stance on Israel must ‘harden’ unless Gaza situation improves
Updated 4 sec ago
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Macron says stance on Israel must ‘harden’ unless Gaza situation improves

Macron says stance on Israel must ‘harden’ unless Gaza situation improves
  • French leader says in Singapore that action needed “in the next few hours and days”
  • He also asserted recognition of a Palestinian state with conditions was “not only a moral duty, but a political necessity”
SINGAPORE: French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that European countries should “harden the collective position” against Israel if it does not respond appropriately to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
With international pressure mounting on Israel over the deepening hunger crisis in Gaza, Macron said action was needed “in the next few hours and days.” He also asserted recognition of a Palestinian state with conditions was “not only a moral duty, but a political necessity.”

Paramilitaries claim capture of key Sudan towns

Paramilitaries claim capture of key Sudan towns
Updated 16 min 4 sec ago
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Paramilitaries claim capture of key Sudan towns

Paramilitaries claim capture of key Sudan towns
  • For more than two years Africa’s third-largest country has been engulfed by a war between the army and the paramilitary forces
  • The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 13 million and created was described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis

PORT SUDAN, Sudan: Paramilitary forces fighting Sudan’s military have said they captured two strategic towns in the war-ravaged nation, which has been hit by a cholera outbreak that killed 70 people in the capital this week.

For more than two years Africa’s third-largest country has been engulfed by a war between the army, led by the nation’s de facto ruler, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The surge in cholera infections comes weeks after drone strikes blamed on the RSF knocked out water and electricity supplies across the capital Khartoum, which now faces a mounting health emergency.

The RSF announced Thursday that its forces had retaken the key towns of Dibeibat, in South Kordofan state, and Al-Khoei, in West Kordofan state, which border South Sudan.

“The liberation of Dibeibat, followed by Al-Khoei, not only means a field victory; it also consolidates the complete control of the RSF over most of the Kordofan region,” an RSF spokesman said in a statement.

Al-Khoei, located around 100 kilometers (62 miles) from El-Obeid — a crossroads between Khartoum and the Darfur region — had been briefly recaptured by the army this month.

Residents confirmed to AFP that Dibeibat, which links the states of North and South Kordofan, was now under RSF control.

The conflict has effectively split Sudan in two: the army controls the center, east and north of the country, while paramilitaries hold almost all of Darfur in the west and parts of the south.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 13 million and created what the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Last week, the military-backed government said it had dislodged RSF fighters from their last bases in Khartoum state, two months after retaking the heart of the capital from the paramilitaries.

Khartoum has been a battleground throughout the war and remains devastated, with health and sanitation infrastructure barely functioning.

Up to 90 percent of hospitals in the conflict’s main battlegrounds have been forced out of service by the fighting.

Now the capital is facing a major health crisis.

A cholera outbreak claimed 70 lives on Tuesday and Wednesday, the health ministry for Khartoum state said Thursday.

Health officials also recorded more than 2,100 new infections over the same two days.

But the UN’s humanitarian agency, OCHA, said it is “difficult to assess the true scale of the outbreak” with “significant discrepancies” in official data.

The federal health ministry reported 172 deaths in the week to Tuesday, 90 percent of them in Khartoum state.

Authorities said 89 percent of patients in isolation centers are recovering, but warn that deteriorating environmental conditions are driving a surge in cases.

Cholera vaccinations have begun in Jebel Awila, the hardest-hit district in Khartoum, UN chief Antonio Guterres’s spokesman said Thursday.

Meanwhile the World Health Organization had delivered more than 22 metric tons of cholera and emergency health supplies, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Cholera is endemic to Sudan, but outbreaks have become worse and more frequent since the war broke out.

Since August, health authorities have recorded more than 65,000 cases and over 1,700 deaths across 12 of Sudan’s 18 states.

“Sudan is on the brink of a full-scale public health disaster,” said Eatizaz Yousif, the International Rescue Committee’s Sudan director.

“The combination of conflict, displacement, destroyed critical infrastructure and limited access to clean water is fueling the resurgence of cholera and other deadly diseases.”

Aid agencies warn that without urgent action, the spread of disease is likely to worsen with the arrival of the rainy season next month, which severely limits humanitarian access.

Sudan’s government also faces US sanctions over allegations by Washington that the Sudanese military used chemical weapons last year in its war against the RSF.

On Thursday, Sudan’s foreign ministry announced the creation of a national committee to investigate the charge, while expressing its “disbelief in the validity of the US administration’s accusations.”


US proposes 60-day ceasefire for Gaza, plan shows

US proposes 60-day ceasefire for Gaza, plan shows
Updated 30 May 2025
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US proposes 60-day ceasefire for Gaza, plan shows

US proposes 60-day ceasefire for Gaza, plan shows
  • The plan is guaranteed by US President Donald Trump and mediators Egypt and Qatar: document

A US plan for Gaza seen by Reuters on Friday proposes a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 28 Israeli hostages alive and dead in the first week and the release of 125 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians.
The plan, which says it is guaranteed by US President Donald Trump and mediators Egypt and Qatar, includes sending aid to Gaza as soon as Hamas signs off on the ceasefire agreement.
The plan stipulates that Hamas will release the last 30 hostages once a permanent ceasefire is in place.
The White House said on Thursday that Israel has agreed to the US ceasefire proposal.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas told Reuters it was reviewing the plan and will respond on Friday or Saturday.
Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March.
Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely and be dismantled as a military and governing force and that all 58 hostages still held in Gaza must be returned before it will agree to end the war.
Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war.
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the devastating Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 Israelis taken hostage into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
The subsequent Israeli military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say, and left the enclave in ruins.


Dua Lipa, public figures urge UK to end Israel arms sales

Dua Lipa, public figures urge UK to end Israel arms sales
Updated 29 May 2025
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Dua Lipa, public figures urge UK to end Israel arms sales

Dua Lipa, public figures urge UK to end Israel arms sales
  • Actors, musicians, activists appeal to PM to ‘end Britain’s complicity in horrors in Gaza’

LONDON: Pop star Dua Lipa joined some 300 UK celebrities in signing an open letter on Thursday urging Britain to halt arms sales to Israel, after similar pleas from lawyers and writers.

Actors, musicians, activists, and other public figures wrote the letter calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to “end the UK’s complicity in the horrors in Gaza.”

British Albanian pop sensation Dua Lipa has been vocal  about the war in Gaza and last year criticized Israel’s  offensive as a “genocide.”

Other signatories include actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, and Riz Ahmed, as well as musicians Paloma Faith, Annie Lennox, and 
Massive Attack.

“You can’t call it ‘intolerable’ and keep sending arms,” read the letter to Labour leader Starmer, organized by Choose Love, a UK-based humanitarian aid and refugee advocacy charity.

Sports broadcaster Gary Lineker, who stepped down from his role at the BBC after a social media post that contained anti-Semitic imagery, also signed the letter.

Signatories urged the UK to ensure “full humanitarian access across Gaza,” broker an “immediate and permanent ceasefire,” and “immediately suspend” all arms sales to Israel.

“The children of Gaza cannot wait another minute. Prime Minister, what will you choose? Complicity in war 
crimes, or the courage to act?,” the letter continued.

Earlier this month, Starmer slammed Israel’s “egregious” renewed military offensive in Gaza and promised to take “further concrete actions” if it did not stop — without detailing what the actions could be.

Last September, the UK government suspended 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel, saying there was a “clear risk” they could be used to breach humanitarian law.

Global outrage has grown after Israel ended a ceasefire in March and stepped up military operations this month, killing thousands of people in a span of two months, according to figures by the Health Ministry.

The humanitarian situation has also sparked alarm and fears of starvation after a two-month blockade on aid entering the devastated territory.
Over 800 UK lawyers, including Supreme Court justices, and some 380 British and Irish writers warned of Israel committing a “genocide” in Gaza in open letters this week.

Israel’s military offensive launched in response to the October 2023 attack has killed 54,084, mostly civilians, in Gaza according to its health ministry, displaced nearly the entire population and ravaged swaths of the besieged strip.


Lebanon takes border measures in coordination with Damascus to curb smuggling

Lebanon takes border measures in coordination with Damascus to curb smuggling
Updated 29 May 2025
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Lebanon takes border measures in coordination with Damascus to curb smuggling

Lebanon takes border measures in coordination with Damascus to curb smuggling
  • Discussed developments on the Lebanon-Syria border and ways to enhance cooperation to control it and prevent smuggling operations
  • UNIFIL commander says situation along the Blue Line is tense as ‘violations’ continue

BEIRUT: Lebanese and Syrian delegations met in Damascus this week to discuss procedures for controlling cross-border smuggling, especially drug trafficking.

The Syrian Interior Ministry announced that both sides discussed developments on the Lebanon-Syria border and ways to enhance cooperation to control it and prevent smuggling operations.

It said that Maj. Gen. Ahmed Latouf, assistant minister for police affairs, on Tuesday evening met with a Lebanese army delegation headed by Brig. Gen. Michel Boutros.

Chief of the Syrian army’s general staff, Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Naasan and Boutros had previously held a meeting to enhance military coordination between the two countries.

In a statement released by the Syrian Arab News Agency, the interior ministry said the meeting between Naasan and Boutros was part of a series of ongoing discussions between them.

According to the release, the chief of operations in Syria also attended the talks.

A Lebanese military source said that the Lebanese army was enhancing its presence along the land border with Syria and maintaining strict control over areas known for smuggling, noting that similar measures were being taken on the Syrian side.

Two days ago, Hamish Cowell, the UK ambassador to Lebanon, said on X that he had visited the eastern border of Lebanon with Syria the previous week. During his visit, he observed how the Lebanese army’s new forward operating bases supported counter-smuggling efforts and improved border security.

The ambassador commended the soldiers of the Land Border Regiment for their efforts in defending Lebanon, emphasizing that UK support is ongoing.

The UK had previously provided watchtowers to help secure the borders.

The Lebanese army command had clarified to the Syrian side that the watchtowers were to monitor the border, prevent the infiltration of terrorists, and control the smuggling of people, drugs, weapons, and contraband from and into Lebanon.

The army added that equipment installed in the towers was exclusively connected to the Lebanese military command and that cameras were aimed to monitor Lebanese rather than Syrian territory.

The purpose was to observe the movement of people and vehicles outside official border crossings and to prevent infiltration and smuggling activities on the Lebanese side of the border.

Lebanon shares a border with Syria that extends over 350 kilometers, threading through towns, villages, rugged terrain, and mountainous areas.

Much of this border is unmarked, allowing for the smuggling of people, goods, fuel, weapons, ammunition, wanted individuals, and stolen vehicles.

Hezbollah manages dozens of crossings, because the areas around these crossings are supportive environments for the party.

The Lebanese government has identified 136 illegal border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, a number that increased during the Syrian war. In comparison, there are only six official border crossings between the two countries, which are in the northern and eastern regions.

The Army Command announced on Thursday, the day after the Damascus meeting, that it had thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large quantity of drugs and fuel in the area between Yahfoufa and Baalbek. Nine suspects were arrested.

Army units detained 26 Syrians illegally present in the Bekaa region, along with a Lebanese citizen in the Arsal-Baalbek highlands who was trying to smuggle fuel and other materials.

On Lebanon’s southern border, Israeli breaches of Lebanese sovereignty continued.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on his X account that an air force aircraft struck the Mount Shaqif area, eliminating a Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon.

The operative was reportedly attempting to reconstruct a site that had previously been used by Hezbollah for fire control and defense.

He said such activity at the site constituted a violation of the understanding between Israel and Lebanon and has been targeted several times in recent weeks.

Adraee said that the army would continue to act to eliminate any threat to Israel.

The warning came as the Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed the death of “a martyr in an Israeli drone strike … in Nabatieh Al-Fawqa.”

Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, the head of mission and force commander of UNIFIL, said that the situation along the Blue Line is tense as a result of ongoing violations and significant risks, and any mistake could lead to serious consequences.

On International Day of UN Peacekeepers, he said: “We welcome the calm that has prevailed since November, but weapons still roar and the challenges remain significant.”

Israeli forces, which still occupy five hills in the Lebanese border area, advanced on Monday night toward Mays Al-Jabal in a serious land breach and set up earthen barriers in the area.

The Lebanese army contacted the five-member committee overseeing the ceasefire agreement and then the next day proceeded to remove the newly erected barrier.