yria’s Health Ministry plans to introduce a new family health model at 40 health centers within weeks, as part of a broader effort to rebuild primary healthcare and modernize service delivery across the country.

The plan was outlined on Monday as the ministry launched a two-day workshop in Damascus to develop a national family health model and review guidelines for family health teams.

Health Minister Musab al-Ali said the initiative forms part of the ministry’s 2026-2028 strategic plan for rebuilding Syria’s health system and guiding the sector through the recovery phase.

The proposed model would define the role of family health teams, services offered to patients, continuity of care, referral mechanisms, quality and skills requirements and health information systems, al-Ali said.

The model will first be tested and evaluated before being gradually expanded nationwide.

Al-Ali said the approach would also reorganize services within health districts, linking primary healthcare centers with hospitals and other levels of care. Digital transformation would be central to the system, including the development of a unified electronic health record.

Such a system would provide reliable information to healthcare teams and decision-makers, helping them assess population needs, measure outcomes and make evidence-based decisions, he added.

Mohammad Salem, director of the ministry’s Primary Healthcare Directorate, told SANA the family health approach is designed to link services more closely to the needs of local communities.