Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Geneva, SANA- Health Minister Dr. Nizar Yaziji affirmed that the health sector in Syria stayed stable due to the strategy adopted by the Health Ministry to maintain the public health as no epidemic or pandemic were registered during the past time despite the bulk of challenges posed by the terrorist war on Syria during the past years.
In his speech at the 70th World Health Assembly at the UN HQ in Geneva, Dr. Yaziji said that the Syrian government spares no efforts to meet the health and emergency needs for all the citizens through the health institutions which continue offering free services to them.
The Minister went on to say that the Syrian public hospitals and first aid health care centers offered last year about 51 million medical services and continue to launch periodical national vaccination campaigns which reflect the government’s concern to maintain the citizens’ health.
He touched upon the facilitations granted by the Syrian government for the delivery of the medical relief shipments presented by the international organizations operating in the medical field, mainly the World Health Organization (WHO), to different damaged areas in the provinces.
The Minister siad that the ministry exerted all possible efforts for rehabilitating the health institutions affected by terrorism as many health centers were re-operated in Aleppo province recently.
” We look for further support by the WHO in the rehabilitation of the health infrastructures and the emergency system and in ensuring medical equipment,” Yaziji said.
The Minister pointed out that the health sector in Syria was affected by the terrorist war, stressing that many health workers were targeted, while they were doing their duties, as well as scores of hospitals, hundreds of health centers and ambulances. Were destroyed.
He stressed that the coercive unilateral economic measures imposed on Syria affected the Syrian people and their livelihood and put additional challenges and difficulties in the face of providing medical services, ensuring medicines and medical equipment and vaccination for children and raw materials .
The Health Minister called upon the WHO to offer technical aid to immediately lift the unfair siege imposed on Syria.
He touched upon Syria’s repeated calls in the international circles for easing the suffering of the Syrian citizens in the occupied Syrian Golan and ensuring the medical care and services to them.
Activities of the 70th World Health Assembly kicked off last Monday at the UN HQ in Geneva with participation of 194 countries, including Syria.
H. Zain/ Ghossoun