The fall of the former government of Syria on 8 December 2024 was a significant turning point in the country after nearly 14 years of war. Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has gained access to previously inaccessible areas under the control of the former government, where we were not authorised to work. The direct and indirect consequences of conflict are stark, with 16.5 million people in need of assistance and widespread humanitarian needs.
People’s health needs in Syria have gone neglected for well over a decade even in areas indirectly affected by conflict. During the war, health facilities were systematically damaged or destroyed, leaving Syrians today with little to no access to health care in some places, especially in rural areas.
Many of the health care facilities that are still standing are either partially functional or not functional at all due to huge challenges such as insufficient human resources. Functional health facilities are struggling as they try to respond to health needs exacerbated by conflict.
People with non-communicable diseases, for example, have been living without the treatment they need. After years of economic collapse, nine out of 10 Syrians are living in poverty, making what medication is available in the country unaffordable for many.
While needs are massive everywhere, the global severe funding cuts for humanitarian programmes have impacted all aid sectors in Syria, including the health care system. Many organisations have had to abruptly withdraw their support, forcing some hospitals and health care centres to make the difficult decision to reduce activities or close down completely.
Bringing care closer to communities
MSF is running a hospital for specialised burn treatment and co-managing a hospital with the Directorate of Health [Idlib], in addition to supporting four other hospitals with activities such as emergency care [Deir Ez-Zor], malnutrition treatment [Raqqa], and maternity care [Daraa] and providing mass casualty trainings and capacity building for staff members in other facilities across the country. We are also supporting the burn departments of five hospitals in Syria, assisting the Ministry of Health in developing a network of burn treatment units.
MSF is also working in 15 health facilities such as primary health care centres and clinics across the country. Among the activities run or supported by MSF are outpatient consultations, care for non-communicable diseases, sexual and reproductive health care services, and mental health support. In addition, we run mobile clinics to help ensure access to primary care in underserved communities [Aleppo, Idlib, and Rural Damascus].
Returning to rubble and remnants of war
As of July 2025, it is estimated that more than 1.5 million internally displaced Syrians have returned to their areas of origin since late November 2024, and more than 641,000 Syrian refugees have crossed back into Syria from neighbouring countries since early December 2024.
But they’re not necessarily returning home. People have come back to vast destruction that has severely affected civilian infrastructure such as houses, power grids, and water sources. With heavily damaged housing, people are living in shells of houses and completely unsafe buildings, putting them at risk of traumatic injury.
In addition, returnees face the life-threatening risk of unexploded ordnance and landmines, which are scattered throughout homes and farmlands, hampering their ability to rebuild their lives.
Lack of access to water and sanitation threatens health
Access to clean water in areas of return as well as displacement camps and settlements is a huge challenge, compounded by the lack of electricity, drought, and destroyed infrastructure. As a result, people rely on water distributed by trucks which carries a risk of contamination. Sewage and waste management systems are partially functioning at best, or completely destroyed in some areas.
MSF is engaged in water and sanitation activities in both areas of return and displacement camps across Syria, with teams rehabilitating boreholes and supplying residents with clean water.
“The work of our Syrian colleagues has been crucial in maintaining our activities throughout the conflict. MSF remains firmly committed to advocating for the most pressing needs and systematic gaps hindering access to essential medical care,” says Moller.
