WHOLE of SYRIA HEALTH CLUSTER BULLETIN February - March 2018
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WHOLE OF SYRIA HEALTH CLUSTER BULLETIN February - March 2018 Syria Arab Republic Emergency type: complex emergency Reporting period: 01.02.2018 to 31.03.2018 11.3 MILLION 6.1 MILLION 2.3 MILLION 4.3 MILLION 2.9 MILLION in need of health internally in HTR and women of with disabilities assistance displaced besieged locations reproductive age HIGHLIGHTS High level advocacy continues on the worsening humanitarian situation, especially in eastern Ghouta and Idlib. Advocate for the protection of patients, health workers and medical facilities; Provide medical assistance across conflict lines, including those required for surgical interventions and safe blood products and transfusions; Facilitate access to HTR and besieged areas to conduct assessments, followed by medical teams and mobile clinics to provide targeted health care, vaccinate children, and organize medical evacuations for the critically ill. Sustainable and regular medical evacuation should stand second to the issue of humanitarian convoys and access to the besieged locations. 64 incidents of violence against health care were registered across the country. The latest UN Security Resolution 2401 (2018) on 30-day cessation of hostilities in Syria is to enable humanitarian aid delivery. Since it came into effect only 3 cross-line humanitarian convoys took place. According to WHO/health sector, an estimated minimum of 1065 people required urgent medical evacuations from the besieged East Ghouta. Simultaneous health response to: East Ghouta, Idleb, Aleppo, Afrin and Deir Ez-Zor. The health sector continues to advocate for safe access in these areas to be able to carry out needs assessments and provision of life-saving and life-sustaining health services. The inter-agency bi-monthly plan to reach besieged and hard-to-reach areas is paralyzed with only 4 XL convoys approved and preceded. WHOLE OF SYRIA HEALTH CLUSTER BULLETIN February - March 2018 SITUATION OVERVIEW The security situation in the country remains volatile and unpredictable. Hot spots: East Ghouta, Idlib, Aleppo, Afrin and Deir Ez-Zor. Developments in these areas had a direct impact on the general security situation countrywide as well as humanitarian operations. Escalation continues across the country with direct impact on health in Syria where already over half of Syria’s 111 public hospitals and half of its 1806 public care centers are now either closed or only partially functioning. Health sector is dee ply alarmed by the escalated military operations in eastern Ghouta, with airstrikes reportedly killing dozens of civilians and impacting nearly 400,000 men, women and children in the besieged enclave. Health sector is deeply concerned over the safety and protection of the 2 million people in Idleb governorate, where ongoing fighting and airstrikes have resulted in death and injury, and destruction of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools. In Afrin, the ongoing military operations, the reported blockage of exits, have virtually trapped many civilians preventing them from accessing safer areas. There are 324,000 men, women and children, including 126,000 displaced people living in the district. In Al-Hassakeh, an agreement was reached to allow some partners to resume their work, after a month in which most humanitarian assistance came to a complete halt. In Ar-Raqqa and Deir-ez-Zoir, the infestation of UXO (unexploded ordinance), IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices), and ERW (Explosive Remnants of War) is provoking civilian casualties, mainly in Ar-Raqqa and Deir Ez- Zoir. Access for humanitarian workers to the city is almost impossible due to unsafe conditions. There is a significant increase in level of Indirect Artillery Fire (IAF) and aerial campaigns in Damascus, Rural Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Idlib and Dara’a reflecting the escalation of hostilities on the ground. In the south, civilians in Al-Rukban camp remain inaccessible to the humanitarian team in Syria. The last time the camp was supplied with food and non-food items was from across the border in early January. Regular and sustained access to the camp population is critical to meet urgent needs that cannot be addressed with sporadic deliveries. In ISIL-held areas, in Yarmouk Camp and other locations in Syria, civilians continue to be held captive, subjected to violence and coercion. Resolution 2332 [formerly 2258 (2015), 2165 (2014) and 2191 (2014)] authorizes UN agencies and their partners to use routes across conflict lines and the border crossings at Bab al-Salam, Bab al-Hawa, Al Yarubiyah and Al-Ramtha, to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people in need in Syria. The Government of Syria is notified in advance of each shipment and a UN Monitoring Mechanism is in place. Statements: Statement is issued by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/statement- UN Representatives in Syria on the impact of the compounded humanitarian un-resident-and-humanitarian-coordinator-and-un crisis in Syria, Damascus, 6 February 2018 UN rights chief urges international action as violence soars in Syria http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews. aspx?NewsID=22647 PAGE 2 WHOLE OF SYRIA HEALTH CLUSTER BULLETIN February - March 2018 Statement attributed to Ali Al-Za’tari, UN Resident and Humanitarian https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/statement- Coordinator in Syria, is released on the immediate need for a cessation of attributed-ali-al-za-tari-un-resident-and-humanitarian hostilities to protect and assist civilians, 12 February 2018 UOSSS statement, New Bombing Campaign Hits 5 Hospitals, Among Worst https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/new- Days in Syrian History bombing-campaign-hits-5-hospitals-among-worst-days- syrian-history UNICEF “blank” statement, The War ON Children in Syria. Reports of mass https://mailchi.mp/unicef/statement-on-situation-in- casualties among children in Eastern Ghouta and Damascus yemen-by-unicef-executive-director-anthony-lake- englisharabic-1097465?e=a10ddfc4d9 Statement by High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini and https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/statement- Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos high-representativevice-president-federica-mogherini-and-1 Stylianides on the humanitarian situation in Eastern Ghouta and Idlib, Syria Statement by Panos Moumtzis, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/statement- Syria Crisis, on East Ghouta, Amman, 19 February 2018 panos-moumtzis-regional-humanitarian-coordinator-syria-1 Statement is issued by Panos Moumtzis, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/statement- for the Syria Crisis, on East Ghouta Hospital Attacks, Amman, 20 February panos-moumtzis-regional-humanitarian-coordinator-syria-2 2018 Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2018-02- Eastern Ghouta in the Syrian Arab Republic 20/statement-attributable-spokesman-secretary-general- eastern-ghouta Statement of Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA, the UN https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/unfpa- Population Fund, in response to Escalation of Violence in Syria condemns-attacks-health-facilities-and-personnel-syria Statement, MSF, Syria: 13 MSF-supported medical facilities damaged over https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/syria-13- three days in East Ghouta msf-supported-medical-facilities-damaged-over-three-days- east Statement by The Syrian Arab Red Crescent Damascus, February 22, 2018 USG/ERC Statement to the Security Council on Syria, 22 February, 2018 Statement Attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2018-03- Eastern Ghouta, Syria is issued on 7 March 2018 06/statement-attributable-spokesman-secretary-general- eastern-ghouta High level advocacy continues on the worsening humanitarian situation and on eastern Ghouta and Idlib, with a focus on escalation and attacks on health facilities, urgent access for medicine and medical supplies to HTR and besieged areas and sustainable and regular medical evacuations. Violence against health: Damascus registered 16 incidents of violence against health. During February 2017, a total of 22 incidents of violence against health care were reported. Three attacks happened in Idleb, two in Hama, two in Dar’a, two in Damascus, one in Aleppo, one in Homs and one in Rural Damascus governorate. Collectively, the attacks resulted in killing of at least nine people including one health care worker and wounding at least 40 including six health workers, more numbers are in the process of verification. During March 2017, total of 26 incidents of violence against health care were reported. Collectively, the attacks resulted in killing of at least eight people including four health care workers and wounding at least 11 including seven health workers, more numbers are in the process of verification. On 7 March, The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), in coordination with the Coordination Body of the Syrian Health Directorate (CBSHD) and the Centre on Global Health Security at the Chatham House conducted a workshop titled Attacks on Healthcare in Syria \ Reporting methods and the validity of de-confliction. The workshop discussed the topic of attacks on healthcare in Syria focusing on the following three aspects: (1) the impact of these attacks