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العربية
Deirezzor24 exclusive report
Two days ago, the Syrian Ministry of Health launched a campaign called “Shifa” in cooperation with the Syrian Gathering in Germany (SGD) and with the support of the Independent Doctors’ Association (IDA). The campaign aims to provide free medical care to patients most in need.
To discuss the campaign, DeirEzzor24 met with Dr. Nasr Abdul Wakaa Alwan, the Head of the Deir Ezzor Doctors’ Branch. He said, “The primary goal of the initiative is to provide surgical treatment to a number of patients who cannot undergo the required operations, whether due to financial constraints or the inability to perform them in Deir Ezzor. The target groups include all ages, from newborns to adults, who require specialized surgeries not available in Deir Ezzor and are unable to perform them.”
He added, “The data collection mechanism is based on publishing a link, approved in coordination with the Deir ez-Zor Health Directorate, to collect medical cases requiring surgical procedures, evaluate them, and select appropriate ones. The surgical procedures that will be available include several departments (orthopedics, neurology, cardiac catheterization and cardiac surgery, general surgery, pediatric surgery, urology, ophthalmology and ear, and cochlear implants).”
He added, “There is full coordination between the Health Directorate and the Doctors Syndicate in implementing this initiative, through collecting patient data, sorting and evaluating cases, and selecting those most in need of surgery, in addition to coordinating with relevant authorities. As for hospitals, operations will primarily be performed at the National Hospital in Deir ez-Zor, and we are working to equip it and secure the necessary supplies. Operations that cannot be performed in Deir ez-Zor will be transferred to central governorates such as Damascus and Aleppo.”
Alwan confirmed that the initiative is being coordinated with several entities, including German and other local medical initiatives in Idlib, as well as supporting organizations. He added that contact is being made with all entities that could provide services to our people in Deir ez-Zor, and that all operations will be free. In full, the necessary medications and medical equipment are provided to the patient without the patient having to pay a single lira. The initiative is voluntary, with donations from doctors and nurses inside the country and donations from abroad. The numbers involved are not yet determined. We hope the initiative will provide medical services, including surgical procedures, to all those in need. The numbers are currently open, and implementation may be in batches.
Al-Alwan concluded by saying, “The most important challenges we face in Deir ez-Zor are the lack of fully prepared operating rooms in hospitals, the lack of preparedness in intensive care units, and the severe shortage of surgical tools and medical personnel. We emphasize that the initiative only targets patients in need of surgery, not those with chronic or immediate pain.”
