Health Minister in The Interim Government: Epidemic Security is as Important as The National Security

Adnan Mohammed Hazzour, Minister of Health in the Syrian interim government, said that epidemic security is as important as the national security in Syria and that the Ministry of Health is a key ministry in a time of war. He also said that World Health Organization reported that 75% of the hospitals in Syria are destroyed and about 65% of the drug plants are disabled. According to UNICEF, there are half million people injured in Syria. “The health situation in Syria is very bad due to the Assad regime’s deliberate targeting of hospitals and medical staff.  There are also nearly a hundred of polio cases across Syria. The shortage of medical staff forced no-specialists to work in the medical field despite the lack of experience and training.  Furthermore, there are around 120 medical organizations working in the health sector in Syria.” Hazzouri also said that the Syrians still in Syria will take precedence over those who are living in neighboring countries.  Also, the wounded will take precedence over ordinary patients. He also said that the ministry is going to set up medical centers for chronic diseases such as heart diseases and diabetes near the border areas, though epidemics is topping the agenda of the Ministry. We met with representatives from the World Health Organization to provide the interim government with sufficient vaccine for epidemic diseases which emerged in Syria over the past two years. We are also working hard to get all the necessary vaccines, not only for polio, but for all diseases. We are also working on opening liaison offices in neighboring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq’s Kurdistan, and Iraq, and we will travel to Jordan in the coming days to oversee this topic with the Jordanian government.” The UNHCR is taking care of all registered Syrian patients with the exception of non-registered patients who are taken to Jordan for emergency treatment.” Hazzouri estimates the cost of treating the wounded at one million USD a month. “We are going to coordinate with donor organizations to bear the burdens of this file. Medical centers were set up in all Syrian provinces with the exception of Rural Damascus. These medical centers are the executive arm of the Ministry and they provide us with data and tables necessary to provide them with the necessary requirements. We call on the Syrian workers in the health sector and who have been dismissed from their jobs to join the Ministry of Health in the interim government to continue their paid work in the service of the nation.” (Source: Syrian Coalition)