
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says 2015 “saw the most blatant attacks on health facilities in Syria”. Between June and August, there were approximately 70 aerial attacks alone.
Between the start of the uprising in March 2011 and November 2015, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) documented 336 attacks on at least 240 medical facilities and the deaths of 697 medical personnel.
Ninety percent of the attacks were carried out by the Syrian government and its allies, according to PHR
The UN says an estimated 58% of public hospitals and 49% of primary health centres are either only partially functional or have closed, limiting healthcare workers’ ability to cope with the more than 25,000 trauma cases per month
More than 40% of the population in Syria lack access to basic health services, and the shortages of specialised medical staff, ambulances, equipment and medical supplies have led to an increased number of preventable deaths.
Source: BBC, 15 FEB 2016