The towns of Madaya and Baqqin in Rural Damascus have only one remaining medical center that cannot meet the needs of tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside the town besieged towns, a medical source said.
The medical source, who refused to disclose their name for fear of the regime reprisal, said that the civilians in Madaya and Baqqin are suffering severe shortages of basic medical supplies as a result of the crippling siege imposed by the Assad regime and the Hezbollah militia who are blocking the entry of aid convoys to the besieged towns.
The suffocating siege in place for nearly a year and a half on Madaya and Baqqin, home to around 40,000 civilians, have caused the humanitarian conditions to deteriorate sharply. The severe shortages of food and medical supplies have led to the spread of diseases among civilians, including rheumatism, kidney failure, osteoporosis, and growth retardation among children.
The medical source criticized the way the United Nations distribute aid. “The UN aid agencies provide the same medical aid to all besieged areas without taking into account the specific needs of each area,” he said. This policy caused certain medical items to accumulate while the much needed ones are lacking, he added.
Over the past year, nearly 60 civilians, mostly children, have starved to death in Madaya. The “surrender or starve” policy the Assad regime is pursuing in Madaya and the surrounding areas is clearly aimed at forcing the besieged civilians to agree to so-called local truces and evacuations deals that end with the local population having to leave their homes.
Meanwhile, four civilian were killed and a number of others were injured on Monday after Assad helicopters targeted the town of Madaya with barrel bombs. The victims included two women and one civil defense rescuer, according to local activists.
Barrel bombs were dropped on Madaya in a clear violation of the truce deal which was struck between Assad regime and the FSA fighters in the area about a year ago. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Office)
