After eleven years of conflict and in the light of the current dire economic conditions faced by the country, Syrian population has no or limited access to primary health services. With the funds of the Syrian Humanitarian Fund (SHF, OCHA Pooled Funds), and then thanks to the support of Stichting Vluchteling (SV, the Netherland Refugee Foundation) in Syria INTERSOS established, in partnership with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), three mobile health units in the governorate of Hama. The mobile health units are operating daily in rural and hard to reach areas where no other/ or limited health services are available.
In 2021, Syria experienced several major outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging diseases, including COVID-19, acute diarrhoea and leishmaniasis. The principal risk factors contributing to this emergence and rapid spread of epidemic diseases include acute and protracted humanitarian crises resulting in fragile health systems, increased population mobility, climate change and drought, environmental deterioration, weak surveillance and limited laboratory diagnostic capacity, and a decline in affordable health services.
