Press release

Syria. A Bridge For alongside the war-affected population thanks to EU support

Thanks to the support of the European Union Humanitarian Aid, Un Ponte Per (UPP) has ensured free treatment for more than 190,000 people in the areas most affected by the conflict in Syria in 1 year.

Syria, 16 May 2023 - The project "Life-saving and life-sustaining health assistance to the war-affected population in Northeast Syria", implemented by the Italian NGO Un Ponte Per (UPP) and its local partners - Kurdish Red Crescent (KRC) and Action for Humanity (AFH) - ended in these weeks. The intervention ensured basic and emergency health care to the population affected by the devastating effects of the war - such as displaced persons and refugees - and to the communities that returned after years in the areas most affected by the conflict, such as the city of Raqqa, 80% destroyed by the battle against the Islamic State (Daesh).

The project, launched in April 2022, was made possible by the support of European Union Humanitarian Aid, which has been supporting Un Ponte Per in Syria since 2017, ensuring continuity of essential and life-saving health services and specialised care for women and newborns.

The intervention has reached over 190,000 people thanks to the extensive network of primary health centres, hospitals and ambulances throughout the territory of north-east Syria. In the dramatic Syrian context, where the war has continued to affect the population for 12 years, the health system has been severely affected, due to the destruction of health centres and the shortage of specialised personnel, equipment and medicines. The project ensured continuous support for 6 primary health centres in Al Hol, Areesha, Abu Khashab, Serekanye, in the Mahmoudli camp and in the city of Raqqa; for 1 paediatric hospital in Raqqa and 2 maternity wards in Tabqa and in the national hospital in Manbij; for a network of 15 ambulances and a coordination centre to manage cases especially during emergencies (such as the Covid-19 pandemic or Cholera).

All services are free and accessible to the entire population, thanks to the work of UPP staff and local partners to ensure fair and non-discriminatory access to health. In 1 year, the clinics supported by UPP and its partners provided over 200,000 medical examinations, attended births to over 20,000 babies with specialised personnel (in a context where home births are still common, contributing to increasing maternal and child mortality rates), and provided ambulance transport to over 14,000 patients.

More than 800,000 people also received essential information to increase their health and prevent illness, especially among children, as well as important information and referral systems on protection services for the most vulnerable, thanks to the constant presence of community health workers and health workers working in clinics and communities.