The project was initiated in response to the dramatic crisis in the health system in north-east Syria, a direct consequence of US funding cuts and mass displacements in early 2025. As of April, as many as 68 health facilities risked closure and only one in sixteen public hospitals remained fully functional, depriving millions of people of access to essential, life-saving care. Paying the highest price were pregnant women, children and patients with chronic diseases or life-threatening conditions, forced to live without any guarantee of healthcare. In the camps for displaced people, conditions are even more dramatic: overcrowding, poor water and sanitation infrastructure, and lack of basic care have increased the risk of epidemics such as cholera and respiratory infections, while the suspension of support to the National Hospital in Hassakeh has deprived more than 333,000 people of the only public referral point for specialist care.
Through BRIDGE, Un Ponte Per, in partnership with ACTED and with the support of the Syrian Humanitarian Fund, provides free integrated health care to the displaced population and host communities in the areas of Hassakeh, Deir-ez-Zor and Raqqa. The project supports seven health facilities managed by the UPP and KRC: four primary care centres in the camps of Areesha, Al Hol, Serekaniye and Abu Khashab, two centres outside the camps in Tel Tamer and Maabadeh, as well as the Raqqa Ambulance Centre. Activities include the provision of drugs and medical devices, training of health personnel, strengthening maternal and child health and emergency services, and strengthening the system for sending patients to specialist care.
Particular attention is paid to the Hassakeh National Hospital, with full coverage of the costs of surgery, diagnostic tests and treatment for displaced persons, removing economic barriers that had made access to vital care impossible. If services are not available at the hospital, UPP guarantees the transfer and reimbursement of costs to other referral facilities, such as the hospitals in Qamishli.
The project directly reaches more than 107,000 people - 70,901 in the camps, 35,863 in the host communities and 322 refugees - but also strengthens the entire local health system, with indirect benefits for thousands of people, including the inhabitants of the city of Raqqa who will be able to access specialist care through the ambulance system.
A work that Un Ponte Per has been carrying out for more than 15 years, with the aim of guaranteeing continuous access to quality care, from basic healthcare to hospital services, and to strengthen the local health system through the provision of equipment, staff training and health monitoring.
