Assad regime ‘has destroyed 57% of hospitals under opposition control’

Forces loyal to the Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad have destroyed 57 per cent of the hospitals in parts of the country controlled by opposition groups, the health minister in the temporary Syrian government has revealed. “There is a heavy burden on the ministry to rebuild the hospitals and secure enough much-needed medicine and medical equipment in order to be ready for future emergencies,” Firas Al-Jundi told Anadolu.

Opposition-controlled areas suffer from severe shortages of medical resources, staff and specialists, he pointed out. Medical staff work day and night, while some departments are not working at all.

Al-Jundi named a number of the hospitals targeted by the regime recently, such as the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Idlib, Al-Atareb Hospital near Aleppo, Al-Bayan Hospital and Al-Hikma Hospital, among others.

The official said that the regime attacks cause problems in offering first aid to the wounded. He noted that the targeting of paramedics and firefighters both delays and undermines medical assistance. As a result, many people die before they can get to a hospital.