Damascus, Syria- Twelve months after the fall of Bashar Al-Asad’s government, people and communities in southern Syria now have more options to access healthcare, as teams from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are working in this part of the country for the first time in almost 12 years. MSF staff are witnessing significant health needs in Dara’a governorate, where years of conflict have caused extensive destruction to infrastructure and severely affected the provision of health care to the communities. Today, MSF is providing free mother-and-child medical care at Nawa National hospital to help support these pressing needs.
The conflict, and its substantial impact on the healthcare system – including shortages of essential medical supplies and an understaffed workforce – left thousands of people without access to healthcare services. Facilities were only partly functional; some activities stopped completely, including those at Nawa National hospital.
MSF is working in collaboration with the Directorate of Health (DoH) Syria in delivering essential mother-and-child healthcare, strengthening infection prevention and control measures, promoting health awareness, and offering mental health support to patients. Since July, MSF has assisted safe delivery of 1,203 newborn, to reduce maternal and neonatal illness and deaths in Dara’a governorate.
MSF teams are also training local DoH staff to improve the quality of care, including training for mass casualty events, in five different health facilities in Izra, Nawa, Al-Hirak, Busra Al-Sham, and Al-Sanamayn in Dara’a governate. Our teams have also trained DoH staff on infection prevention and control measures, blood bank and cold chain management, and other technical skills. We have also donated cold chain material, including refrigerators and freezers to support a fully functional blood bank at Nawa National hospital.
Support to people displaced from Sweida
Starting in July this year, violence erupted in neighbouring Sweida governorate, displacing thousands of people. Those people had to flee their homes, leaving clothes and basic needs behind. Their displacement has been prolonged for months now, leaving them unable to return.
During the conflict that broke out in Sweida, our teams donated mass-casualty incident kits to frontline hospitals, including four kits for Nawa National hospital. The violence forced many families to flee and seek safety in Dara’a.
According to Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management Syria during the Swieda conflict more than 27,000 people were displaced into Daraa governate. From 24th November to 14th December, MSF teams have provided 327 medical consultations, 81 individual and group mental health sessions, and 113 health promotion sessions for displaced families. We’ve also donated 1,145 relief kits and winter kits, including hygiene products, kitchen essentials, mattress, blankets, winter clothes as winters are approaching and many families lack basic necessities for survival.
The situation in Dara’a remains critical after years of conflict; the water and sanitation needs are high, requiring urgent attention and organisation and humanitarian groups. MSF continues to provide essential services—from mother and child care to mental health support—ensuring that people and communities have access to the care they need.
