The Syrian Opposition Coalition’s political committee held its periodic meeting as it slammed the delay of the World Health Organization and donors in providing support to the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) and in providing it with the necessary equipment to take the necessary preventive measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus which has become a threat to the entire world.
The meeting was chaired by the SOC President, Anas Abdah, and attended by SIG’s Head, Abdurrahman Mustafa. Minister of Health, Maram al-Sheikh, Director of the Directorate of Health in Aleppo, Abd al-Basit Ibrahim, and coordinators of SIG’s offices and departments and ministers participated in the meeting via a video link.
Minister of Health gave a briefing on the health situation in the liberated areas and the results of the tests conducted on the suspected cases. He pointed out that all the results were negative, stressing the importance of transparency with regards to the cases of infection, contrary to the Assad regime’s covering up of the actual number of cases.
Al-Sheikh explained that the ministry set up three isolation units and 28 community isolation units in Idlib. The ministry also began sterilizing markets and isolation units as well as launched awareness raising campaigns on social media across the liberated areas.
Participants in the meeting stressed the need to address the coronavirus threat and prevent an outbreak of the pandemic among the Syrian people who have been devastated by the crimes of the Assad regime, Russia and Iran over the past nine years.
Participants also stressed the importance of communicating with the United Nations, friendly countries and international organizations to urge support for SIG in taking the necessary preventive measures to prevent the spread of the virus, especially in light of the difficult conditions facing civilians living in tightly-packed camps and the lack of places suitable for isolation and social separation in addition to the major shortage of medical facilities after most of them were destroyed.
Members of the committee praised the efforts of SIG, the Ministry of Health, the Assistance Coordination Unit to take the necessary measures to prevent the spread of the virus. They recommended the launch of an awareness raising campaign in the IDP camps and the liberated areas in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
Participants also stressed the need for coordination among all agencies working in the health sector to unify efforts.
Participants discussed several proposals to create an information system that ensures rapid access to information and its developments with the aim of increasing coordination and studying the possibility of online education for students at all ages in the liberated areas.
The political committee called on the United Nations and international organizations to exert pressure on the Assad regime to allow access to the detainees and ascertain their conditions to prevent the spread of the virus among detainees and provide the necessary medical care, and work to ensure their immediate release. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
