During a journey from Deir-ez-Zor to Ar-Raqqa, a WHO colleague suddenly needed urgent medical care.

With support from local healthcare workers and skilled ambulance drivers, the team finally reached a health facility in time, where healthcare workers provided the urgently needed care.

For Dr Caroline Clarinval, WHO Representative in Syria, the experience brought into sharp focus something she had witnessed throughout her first field mission across the country: behind every health facility and every health system are people whose skills, decisions and commitment can change and sometimes save lives.

“We saw the health system from another perspective,” said Dr Clarinval. “We saw a patient, a team, a health directorate and health workers coming together to save a life. The focus, professionalism and dedication of everyone involved was truly inspiring, and it is these collective efforts that made the difference.”

Over two weeks, Dr Clarinval and the WHO team travelled across Syria’s coastal, northern, central and eastern governorates, meeting health authorities, health workers, partners, patients and families. They visited hospitals and primary healthcare facilities across the country, witnessing the consequences of years of conflict.