MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES SINIR TANIMAYAN DOKTORLAR SYRIA CRISIS ACTIVITY REPORT 2016 www.msf.org www.sinirtanimayandoktorlar.org INTRODuCTION CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 INTRODUCTION 4 TURKEY AND SYRIA ACTIVITIES 4 SYRIA CRISIS Médecins Sans Frontières MSF was founded in 1971 as a Our actions are guided by medical non-profit, self-governed organisa- ethics and humanitarian principles 6 ACTIVITIES IN TURKEY (MSF) is an international, tion with the belief that all people such as independence, neutrality independent, medical should have access to healthcare and impartiality. Strong commitment 8 ACTIVITIES IN SYRIA humanitarian organisation regardless of gender, race, religion, of MSF to humanitarian principles creed or political affiliation, and that relies substantially on our individual 16 MSF-SUPPORTED HOSPITALS IN SYRIA that delivers emergency aid people’s medical needs outweigh and private donors that make MSF to people affected by armed respect for national boundaries. MSF independent from interests of fund conflict, epidemics, natural is a worldwide movement fuelled by providers; thereby MSF is a move- 35,000 health professionals, logis- ment oriented by needs of vulner- disasters and exclusion tical and administrative staff –most able people. MSF has almost 6 million from healthcare. MSF offers of whom are hired locally – who work donors providing 92% of its income assistance to people based on programmes in some 69 countries which reached about 1,5 billion euros on need, irrespective of race, worldwide, with a shared commit- in 2015. Besides MSF rejects the idea ment to the Médecins Sans Frontières that poverty-stricken people deserve religion, gender or political Charter and principles. third-rate medical care and strives to affiliation. provide high-quality care to patients. © MSF www.msf.org www.sinirtanimayandoktorlar.org [email protected] MSFTurkiye MSF_Turkiye Cover Photoı Nine-year-old Abdul Hadi is hugged by his older brother in a hospital ward in besieged east Aleppo. Abdul Hadi was injured by a bomb MSF_Turkiye Mahmoud Abdel-rahman/MSF blast while playing outside his home. He sustained head injuries, has lost his memory and can no longer feed himself. Medical staff say he needs a CT scan, but there is no such equipment available in east Aleppo, and he cannot be referred elsewhere for specialised MSF Turkiye care because all roads leading out of the city are blocked. 2ND EDITION: MARCH 2017 Syria Crisis Activity Report 2016 1 INTRODuCTION INTRODuCTION Simultaneously, and with equal vigour, MSF continuously seeks to improve the organisation's own practices. Over © MSF the years, MSF has received many prestigious awards in recognition of its medical humanitarian work. In 1999, MSF received the Nobel Peace Prize. MSF's interventions involve medical teams addressing the most urgent health needs of people in crisis without geographical priorities and limitations. Our teams conduct independent eval- uations to determine medical needs MSF CHARTER before deciding to open a programme. We analyse what assistance we can Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is a private, international association. The association is made up mainly of doctors potentially bring, and we regularly ques- and health sector workers and is also open to all other professions which might help in achieving its aims. All of its tion the pertinence of our presence or members agree to honour the following principles. absence. We retain continuous and direct control over the management and • MSF provides assistance to populations in distress, to victims of navtural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed delivery of our assistance for the dura- conflict. They do so irrespective of race, religion, creed or political convictions. tion of our activities, some of which are • MSF observes neutrality and impartiality in the name of universal medical ethics and the right to humanitarian assistance primary and mental healthcare support; and claims full and unhindered freedom in the exercise of its functions. emergency and surgical interven- • Members undertake to respect their professional code of ethics and maintain complete independence from all political, tions; vaccination campaigns; building, managing nutritional and health centers; economic or religious powers. An inflatable operating theatre is erected inside this MSF makeshift hospital in Syria (a • As volunteers, members understand the risks and dangers of the missions they carry out and make no claim for them- providing water and sanitation services; converted chicken farm) as it is an efficient way to maintain a sterile environment. selves or their assigns for any form of compensation other than that which the association might be able to afford them. and provision of humanitarian aid items and shelter. patients had been transferred, was Not only the population encircled The conflict that Syrians are going then targeted in a third strike. This in besieged areas, but virtually all through, the endless violence and clearly illustrates the intentional nature remaining population is imprisoned © MSF misery that they are suffering are heart- of the strategy and its brutality towards inside a country, whose borders are breaking for the entire world. MSF is the civilians and emergency services closed or restricted, is also suffering struggling to help Syrian patients and on the ground. Other dozens of from conflict. Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and displaced people survive under very medical staff have been killed. Medical Lebanon have made immense efforts difficult conditions. Despite our efforts, facilities have been systematically to assist Syrian refugees, hosting access to the affected population has targeted and destroyed. almost 5 million Syrians. However, been severely restricted by numerous Patients risk their lives daily by seeking hundreds of thousands continue to challenges. In the 7th year of war, attention in the medical facilities. seek refuge abroad. Externalization of international humanitarian law is disre- Health system in Syria is agonising. borders to prevent movement of refu- spected by all warring parties in the Services and care that should be gees from Syria or blocking humani- conflict. Humanitarian aid is not a polit- provided and available is missing, tarian aid into Syria cannot be accept- ical tool that can be used at various causing enormous suffering and making able while the extreme violence is levels by states and actors involved in it difficult to measure mortality as some exercised on the ground. The political the conflict. MSF reiterates its call to conditions become mortal when not interests and bureaucratic obstacles warring actors to allow access to Syria treated and the patients remain trapped by states and actors made the delivery to provide medical assistance to the in the camps or in their houses. of aid and medical care to Syrian victims of the war. nearly impossible. The current hopes Furthermore, millions are displaced for a solution or a relaxation from the Medical professionals paid a terrible from their homes and confined in hostilities which would allow access to toll trying to provide assistance to provisional settlements and camps the population are dim. people in need. Tragically, we witness for displaced populations in awful that medical facilities have turned into living conditions and not even spared In these pages, MSF shows a summary targets by warring parties too. from the violence. Thousands are also of the activities developed by the An airstrike against the Maarat trapped in besieged areas, without teams, with a distinctive recognition by al-Numan Hospital in the morning of access to food, medicines, unable to those colleagues working inside Syria, 16 February 2016 killed 25 people, seek a safe place and systematically who are risking their lives to serve their including one MSF colleague and targeted by different parties. Access communities and deliver the medical The MSF-supported hospital in Ma’arat Al Numan was attacked and destroyed on Monday 15th Feb. At least seven people were killed, injuring 11 more. Once first responders care and humanitarian aid that is so and at least eight are missing, presumed dead. The 30-bed hospital had 54 staff, two operating theatres, an outpatient department to those areas has been systematically and an emergency room. The outpatient department treated around 1,500 people a month, the ER carried out an average of 1,100 had arrived to deal with the first strike, jeopardized while trapped populations much needed by the Syrians. consultations a month, and around 140 operations a month, mainly orthopaedic and general surgery, were carried out in the operating a second one followed. A hospital, have been used by the warring parties. theatres. a short distance away, to which the 2 Doctors Without Borders Syria Crisis Activity Report 2016 3 TuRKEY AND SYRIA ACTIVITIES TuRKEY AND SYRIA ACTIVITIES TURKEY AND SYRIA © MSF ACTIVITIES SYRIA CRISIS The Syrian conflict that Amidst the brutality of the Syrian Even those people who manage to conflict, violence against medical facil- flee the front lines or besieged areas began in 2011 has created ities, staff and patients has become and reach the border find it increas- the biggest displacement horrifyingly routine. In 2016 alone, 81 ingly difficult or even impossible to An MSF doctor and a child in control examination in Atme, Syria. crisis since the Second medical facilities have been damaged seek refuge abroad. Border restrictions World War, and millions of or destroyed in Azaz and Aleppo and closures force people to return districts, some repeatedly. This follows to the places in Syria they fled, or to people are in desperate need 94 attacks on MSF-supported facili- camp out in provisional settlements Following the Islamic State (IS) group’s MSF is running 6 health structures Apart from the assistance delivered of lifesaving humanitarian ties in 2015, which killed 81 healthcare with no facilities or resources, at risk of abduction and release of MSF staff inside Syria, out of which 2 in Aleppo inside Syria, MSF is also providing aid. Some 4.9 million people staff.