Thursday, December 27, 2012

western governments will fund armed groups in Syria, but not hospitals

""Pharmaceutical factories, which used to produce more than 90% of the country's drug needs, are down to one-third of their former production, according to Elizabeth Hoff, the representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Syria. Many have been destroyed or damaged in the fighting – sometimes directly targeted by the opposition. The northern city of Aleppo, one of the worst affected, was home to most of the factories. Other factories are struggling to import raw materials due to sanctions imposed on Syria by western countries. Insecure routes have affected supply lines." "The shortage and price of medicines are just the tip of the iceberg. Fighting has partly or completely destroyed half the country's 88 public hospitals, with 23 of them not functioning at all. Of 1,919 health centres, 186 have been damaged, and 106 are no longer functional." "The UN appeal for humanitarian funding, revised in September, included more than $53m in health-related projects for 2012 – but remains less than one-third funded."" (thanks Amir)