Northern Syrian province needs medical aid, says expert

ISTANBUL

The northern Syrian province of Idlib, home to more than 4 million displaced people, needs humanitarian assistance for their medical needs, according to the Alliance of International Doctors (AID).

Dr. Murat Koc, the head of AID's branch in Diyarbakir, Turkey, near the Syrian border, said that there are significant health deficiencies in Idlib, including primary clinics, hospitals and universities.

He stressed that residents face difficulties reaching medicine and protective health services. And because a lot of the population live in tents, he said there are difficulties getting to health services, such as gynecology, vaccination, monitoring pregnancy and babies but non-governmental organizations and institutions are building primary clinics, which are especially important for various medical fields.

Medical faculty

Koc said there are also severe insufficiencies in necessities such as oxygen tubes, medicines and operation equipment as he touched on secondary and tertiary health services in Idlib.

Officials and residents should focus on the health requirements, he stressed.

He said there is a medical faculty in Idlib and there is sufficient academic staff to train students but there are inadequate basic needs, such as generators and medicines.

"If the faculty will get enough equipment, it will meet the need for tertiary care in Idlib," he said.

The faculty has hundreds of medical students at all levels but due to scarcities, they cannot have enough education, he said.

Currently, those who need tertiary care, move to Turkey, if the faculty has enough equipment it can serve people, he said.

Idlib province hosts 4.3 million displaced Syrians, of which 1.2 million are orphans.

Turkish NGOs especially active in the region, provide humanitarian aid for residents and build briquette houses.

Orthosis-prosthesis operations

Touching on AID and IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation's joint Prosthetic-Orthotic and Rehabilitation Center, which was founded with a contribution from Kuwait's Zakat House, in Idlib, Koc said the center has helped by using modern medical devices on those who became disabled because of the conflicts.

"We are working with all our strength to ensure war-weary people, who lost their limbs, hold on to life," he said.

Koc said there are three more orthosis-prosthesis centers in Turkey and all four facilities produce artificial limbs for the needy.