BREAKING: Another UOSSM Staff Killed, Syrian Doctors Plead For Help In Daraa
Geneva, Switzerland
-On June 27 at seven pm Damascus time, Yusuf Ayyash, A UOSSM warehouse worker at the Giza office, was killed by an airstrike along with his wife and daughter. This is the third UOSSM staff member to be killed in less than a week.
As the besiegement of Daraa escalates, four hospitals and one primary health care centrewere attacked and have been put out of service. Nearly 60,000 people have been displaced by the violence since June 19, and have nowhere to turn with Jordan’s borders closed and the western suburbs under siege.
The Al-Mseifra hospital suffered extensive damage after three airstrikes. Saida Hospital, Al Harak Hospital, Al Jiza Hospital and Basra al Harer PHC were also bombed and put out of service in addition to reports of two Syrian Civil Defense centres (White Helmets) being attacked.
Five medical staff have been killed (three staff from UOSSM) and at least 60 civilians were murdered since June 19th.
“I am now in one of the hospitals in Daraa. The situation is catastrophic. There is a large number of wounded victims in hospitals, most of them are injuries in the limbs as a result of shrapnel and cluster bombs, in which civilians are getting targeted directly. Some of the wounded victims were evacuated to the western and southern areas of Daraa with neurological and eye injuries; we do not have adequate equipment to treat these injuries,” said Dr. Bahaa Mahameed, UOSSM Doctor in Daraa.
Dr. Ghanem Tayara, UOSSM Chairman and Birmingham UK GP said -“We have to burry yet another brave staff member today, bringing the toll to three staff deaths in less than a week. My heart goes out to the Ayyash family and we are all overcome with sadness. Yusuf was loved by our staff and he will be dearly missed. Abdulhaddi, our ambulance driver left behind five children when he was killed two days ago. Maysoun, a UOSSM midwife was killed six days ago along with her daughter, while her other daughter was horrifically injured. The perpetrators of these acts should be disgusted with themselves and what they have become. There are no words for these horrors.”
Dr. Tayara added,“The situation is desperate. All our medical facilities are being attacked and medical staffs are terrified to work. Two of our PHCs are now occupied by the military and forcibly shut down. There are people suffering immensely and dying because we cannot reach them. There are children dead in the streets and there is nothing we can do.”
UOSSM condemns the targeting of civilians and medical facilities. In the strongest terms,UOSSM urges all parties to honour the terms of the de-escalation agreement and the de-confliction of medical facilities, meant to identify and protect hospitals.
UOSSM asks for humanitarian corridors to be opened to Daraa and monitored by international observers to allow internally displaced peoples safe passage.
***WARNING*** GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW
