Since the start of the conflict, the health system in Syria has seen unprecedented levels of violence against its facilities, staff, and patients. This violence continues to have a devastating impact on the lives of millions of Syrians. Households recently interviewed by the IRC in the northeast and northwest of the country highlight the difficulties they face when trying to access a health system damaged by 11 years of violence, an economic crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Out of more than 1,380 reported attacks, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has documented and verified 601 attacks since the start of the conflict, on at least 350 health facilities. Syria has accounted for 25% of all recorded killings of health workers in conflict areas in the past 5 years.