Toronto, Ontario- A four day surge in violence has left 237 dead and 1250 injured in Eastern Ghouta. Seven medical facilities have also been attacked throughout Syria, leaving thousands with scarce access to medical care when it is needed most.
On February 8 at 9:50 am Damascus time, the Mishmeshan Primary Health Center in Idlib was attacked, destroying it completely, and putting it out of service. Six were killed. Four medical staff and four Syrian Civil Defense paramedics (White Helmets) were injured along with several others that were on premises at the time of the attack.
On February 8 at 8 p.m. Damascus time, the Al Rahma Hospital in Khan Sheikhoun was attacked and put out of service. The hospital was completely destroyed. One of the medical staff was killed and several others were injured.
On February 8, The Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) center in Khan Sheikhoun was attacked killing three members of the White Helmets, and wounding four others.
On February 7, the obstetrics hospital in Douma, Eastern Ghouta was targeted by airstrikes causing severe damage and the death of an administrative worker.
On February 6 at 11 a.m. Damascus time, the ‘Save a Soul’ Mental Health Center in Easten Ghouta was hit by several missiles. At around the same time a ‘Save a Soul’ Primary Health Care Center was also attacked. Two staff and two patients were wounded. The center provided healthcare for 20,400 patients.
On February 6, a dental clinic in ‘Albaraa center’ of Eastern Ghouta was targeted and destroyed.
There have been at least 35 attacks on medical facilities and staff in 2018, leaving thousands in a vulnerable state with little or no access to medical care. Many of the attacks are within the ‘de-escalation zone’ and have large populations of IDPs who are extremely vulnerable already.
"I am sickened by the relentless attacks against civilians and deliberate targeting of hospitals. How can they justify killing 237 civilians and injuring over 1,250 civilians in the past 4 days? Our hospitals and medical facilities are being hit by surgical strikes. The injured have nowhere to turn and are dying in the streets and their homes. The reckless bombing of civilians we are seeing amounts to a war crime, and must be stopped. Civilians are not targets. Hospitals are not targets.”- Said Dr. Ghanem Tayara, Chairman of UOSSM International and Birmingham, UK GP.
