Washington DC- The holiday season brought a new wave of attacks on medical facilities throughout Syria. There have been at least 11 separate attacks on medical facilities since December 26, 2017, targeting medical facilities in Idlib, Hama and Eastern Ghouta. In the past 10 days three paramedics have been killed in Eastern Ghouta and one nurse was killed in Northern Homs.
Yesterday, at 11:30 a.m. Damascus time, the Al Salam maternity and pediatric hospital in Maarrat Al Numan, Idlib, was impacted by an airstrike, for the third time within a week, resulting in structural damage. At least one patient was killed and several others were wounded. Dr. Bashar Yousef, the only pediatric doctor at the hospital and a supervisor at the intensive care unit was wounded in the attack.
On that same day, the Al Maghara Cave Hospital in Kafr Zeita, Hama was impacted by three separate airstrikes, putting the hospital out of service. The hospital was attacked at 5 p.m. Damsascus time, no casualities were reported. The surgical hospital provides services to a catchment area of 50,000 a month, with 7,000 monthly beneficiaries, and provides 150 surgeries a month. UOSSM supported the emergency department of the hospital.
UOSSM condemns the targeting of medical facilities/ staff and demands the UN investigate and prosecute perpetrators for war crimes. “This fresh wave of attacks on medical facilities is sickening and unacceptable. These attacks force facilities to shut down, terrorize staff and result in undue hardship for patients already suffering. Since the beginning of the crisis, there have been hundreds of well-documented attacks on medical facilities in Syria. It’s shameful that there has never been a formal prosecution for these war crimes and it severely undermines the UN’s credibility.” Said Dr. Ghanem Tayara, UOSSM International Chairman and a Bristol GP.
The following are attacks on medical facilities since December 26, 2017:
December 26, 2017:
At 11:40 a.m. Damascus time, a hospital in Kafr Zeita in Hama was impacted by an airstrike. The attack caused minor damage to the building and no casualties were reported. The facility went temporarily out of service. The hospital provided an average of 860 consultations, 90 admissions, 30 major surgeries and 19 war related trauma cases per month.
At 12:50 p.m. Damascus time, a hospital in Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib was attacked by an air strike. The attack resulted in minor structural damages to the facility. No casualties were reported and the facility went out of service. The hospital provided an average of 736 consultations, 34 admissions, 39 major surgeries and eight war related trauma cases per month.
December 28, 2017:
At 10:30 a.m. Damascus time, a primary health care center in Maarrat Al Numan, Idlib was impacted by a nearby barrel bomb, which destroyed several windows and doors. The facility was put out of service. One woman was killed during the attack and three children were injured.
At 2:10 p.m. Damascus time, a hospital in Kafr Zeita, Hama was impacted by an air strike. The facility had minor damage and no casualties, and remained open. The hospital provided an average of 929 consultations, 78 admissions, 36 surgeries and 35 war related trauma cases per month.
December 29, 2017:
At 10:10 p.m. Damascus time, a hospital in Daraa was impacted by artillery shelling. The attack resulted in minor structural damages and damaged one medical vehicle. No casualties were reported and the facility remains open.
December 30, 2017:
A paramedic working for a hospital in Eastern Ghouta was killed as a result of artillery shelling in Harasta.
At 3:25 p.m. Damascus time, a medical warehouse in Maarrat Al Numan, Idlib, was impacted by barrel bombs resulting in structural damage and the destruction of medical
supplies, equipment, and medicines. There were no injuries or casualties reported. The facility went out of service.
December 31, 2017:
At 12:55 p.m. Damascus time, the Al Salam hospital in Maarrat Al Numan, Idlib, was impacted by an airstrike resulting in minor structural damages. The facility remained open.
At 2:30 p.m. Damascus time, a primary health care center in Harasta in (Eastern Ghouta), rural Damascus, was impacted by an airstrike. The attack resulted in minor structural damage. Two nurses were injured and the facility remained open.
