Syria’s Health Ministry on Wednesday launched two European Union-backed projects aimed at strengthening primary healthcare services and improving governance in the health sector.

The initiatives are supported by the European Union, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Italy’s UPP.
The projects were inaugurated at Ibn al-Nafis Medical Complex in Damascus, the ministry said.

The first project will rehabilitate and renovate 22 health centers in al-Safira and Tal al-Daman in southern Aleppo province at an estimated cost of 7 million euros ($7.6 million).

The second initiative, valued at about 1 million euros, aims to strengthen leadership and management strategies in primary healthcare and introduce a “family health” model.

Syria’s health infrastructure has been severely damaged during more than a decade of war, particularly in areas that witnessed heavy fighting.