Cologne/Gaziantep. The fall of the Assad regime in Syria has made the extent of the humanitarian emergency situation clearly visible throughout the country, particularly in the health sector. "Several of the 18 healthcare facilities we are supporting are currently completely overcrowded. In addition to therapeutic and clinical care, people are in special need of psychological support. After the fall of the regime, thousands of people, including children, were freed from prisons where they were living in unimaginable conditions. Some inmates had been imprisoned for decades. At the same time, however, many families learned that their loved ones had died in captivity. In this time of upheaval, when no one can say what the future will look like, it is important to be there for the people", says Lena Schellhammer, Program Manager for Syria at Malteser International.
The situation in Syria is extremely tense. Just last week, health facilities were damaged in airstrikes, so people in some facilities are being treated in makeshift rooms. Medicines are in short supply, as are medical staff. In addition, the price of bread has risen by 900 percent since the end of November.
"Almost 17 million people in Syria are facing existential threats because they don't have enough food or drinking water, they need medical help or medication or are simply without a roof over their heads. As humanitarians, we are currently able to move around the country more freely and therefore actually provide better help than before. But we are also urgently dependent on donations", says Thomas Weiss, Head of the Regional Group Middle East at Malteser International.
Malteser International has been supporting the people in Syria since 2012, primarily in the health sector. They are also supplied with water, hygiene materials and food.
Attention editorial offices:
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Lena Schellhammer, Malteser International's Program Manager for Syria and Türkiye at Malteser International as well as Thomas Weiss, Head of the Regional Group Middle East at Malteser International, are available for interviews and sound bites.
Media contact: +49 (0)221 9822-7180, katharina.Kiecol(at)malteser-international.org
The people in Syria are in urgent need of donations.
Malteser Hilfsdienst e. V.
IBAN: DE10 3706 0120 1201 2000 12
S.W.I.F.T.: GENODED 1PA7
Keyword: "Syria"
