A young man whose leg was amputated in shelling by regime forces on eastern Ghouta started to play his favourite sport football after receiving a prosthetic leg after three years of disability.
The Assad regime and Russian air raids on Syrian cities and towns have been leaving dozens of Syrians with permanent disabilities on a daily basis.
Abu Anas stopped playing his favorite game after doctors failed to treat his injury as a result of lack of necessary medical equipment in besieged eastern Ghouta.
The aerial and ground bombardment by regime forces and their allies on rebel-held areas have killed over half a million people and left over a million more with permanent disabilities.
The International Disability Alliance in March 2015 called on the international community to act immediately to provide treatment for nearly one million injured Syrians, including tens of thousands in need of surgeries, prosthesis and rehabilitation.
The organization warned that simple injuries turn to permanent disabilities, noting in a report that the war in Syria will leave a generation of injured and maimed Syrians unless the world moves to provide them with the necessary immediate treatment.
The suffocating siege imposed by the Assad regime on the rebel-held areas, the constant bombardment and the lack of medical supplies and specialized medical staff all have increased the number of disabilities and amputations which otherwise could have been treated.
The Assad regime and Russian forces are using internationally banned weapons in the indiscriminate shelling on rebel-held areas, including barrel bombs, white phosphorous, cluster bombs, and napalm.
Director of Farha Prosthesis Center in eastern Ghouta said that despite the lack of necessary equipment, they managed to make an artificial leg for Abu Anas after consulting with experts in this area.
The plight of Syrian disabled persons is being further worsened by the absence of necessary health and material support to alleviate their suffering. The permanent disabilities caused by the regime and Russian bombing include amputations, severe deformations, paralysis of vital functions, and head injuries. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Office)
