You are here

Home » Operating health services in a conflict zone

Operating health services in a conflict zone

07 April 2015

Addressing the healthcare requirements of the 480,000 Palestine refugees in Syria is complex. It is thanks to generous donor support of the United States that UNRWA has been able to adjust its services to meet Palestine refugee health needs and provide 955,190 patient consultations in 2014. After four years of conflict, with the Syrian health care system at virtual collapse, UNRWA has had to adapt the way it delivers primary health care to Palestine refugees whether they live in besieged neighborhoods, active conflict zones, or relatively calm areas.

UNRWA operates 14 health care centres in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Dera’a and Latakia. With the financial support provided by the United States, the Agency has opened an additional 12 health points in new locations to give Palestine refugees better access to facilities as they cope with mass displacement.

Since the start of the conflict, the United States of America has given US$ 240 million to UNRWA in response to the Syria crisis. In the first quarter of 2015 alone, the United States contributed US$ 57.4 million. Funding from the United States is crucial to maintaining UNRWA emergency operation in Syria, and has enabled the Agency to meet some of the most basic needs of Palestine refugees and support their resilience to cope with enduring hardship.

UNRWA faces challenges in providing health services in Syria, including the damage and destruction of facilities such as this health point in Husseinieh, near Damascus, and the flight of qualified and experienced staff. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadDespite the challenging operational environment, UNRWA is committed to providing robust health care services to the Palestine refugee population in Syria. With donor support, particularly that of the United States, UNRWA provided 955,190 healthcare consultations in 2014. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadOver 280,000 Palestine refugees in Syria are internally displaced, and many live in crowded conditions. UNRWA runs an early warning system in all collective shelters to mitigate the risk of infectious disease outbreaks. Doumar Collective Shelter, Damascus. © 2014 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadThe 12 health points run by UNRWA, such as this one in Jaramana Collective Shelter, offer outpatient medical consultations, continuity of care for chronic diseases and prescription services. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadDonor support helped UNRWA upgrade this health point in Rukn Eddin to a primary health centre. It now offers services including dentistry, lab testing, and maternal health care. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadUNRWA runs a health point in besieged Yarmouk when staff and their supplies are allowed into the area. Due to restrictions on access to the camp, during the first three months of 2015 UNRWA was able to operate the health point on only 13 days, providing 1,198 consultations. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadIn 2014, UNRWA, working with other partners, vaccinated over 125,000 Palestine refugee children against polio, mumps, measles and rubella. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadThe UNRWA medical system was paper-based and many records have been destroyed in the conflict. To ensure the security of patient files, in 2015, with the support of the United States government, UNRWA is launching the eHealth system to digitize all medical records. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadThe Syrian healthcare system has been severely compromised by damage and destruction of medical facilities and the collapse of the pharmaceutical industry. Support from donors such as the United States is critical to maintain robust UNRWA health care services. Rukn Eddin, Damascus. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid Mohammad

Follow us