Syria

In Syria, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provides vital healthcare to displaced people living in extremely vulnerable conditions. In 2023, we also responded to the devastating earthquakes that shook the country’s northwest.

After nearly 14 years of war, humanitarian and medical needs in Syria remain high, but funding is dwindling significantly.

Aid is crucial for preventing further deterioration. MSF calls on the US government and EU member states to resume and increase funding support to ensure stability in the country, and to allow for a comprehensive response to the millions of Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance.

Three months after the fall of former government, MSF has been providing critical healthcare and relief to Syria’s most vulnerable people. The medical and humanitarian needs remain immense given years of conflicts, which continue to flare up sporadically. However, the decrease in funding and large-scale budget cuts are exacerbating people’s hardship. These funding cuts are already limiting humanitarian aid efforts and will restrict the much-needed response for people in need. 

There is a critical disconnect between the escalating needs and the available funding and resources. 

Receiving medical care for Syrian people is becoming an overwhelming challenge. MSF is witnessing hospital closures, threats of further shutdowns, and an increasing number of patients struggling to receive care as the remaining facilities become increasingly overburdened.   

In northwest Syria, more than 100 primary health care centers (PHCCs), nine general hospitals, 23 specialized hospitals, and more than 30 specialized care centers are expected to be out of funds by the end of March. In the whole of Syria, the Health Sector estimates that 711 (40% of the total) health facilities have suspended or reduced capacity due to the US funding freeze: (49 hospitals, 572 PHCCs, 41 mobile clinics, and 49 other health services. 

To address the surge in patient numbers and rising bed occupancy rates, MSF expanded one of its hospital’s capacity in early February in Idlib governorate, adding more medical staff and beds. However, in the long run, the increased patient influx will strain drug consumption rates. This is just an example from one MSF hospital, other hospitals in Syria don’t have the luxury of expanding their capacity due to increasing needs. Instead, they are forced to close their doors and deprive people from lifesaving care. 

The closure of hospitals in northwest Syria due to donor’s funding cuts, including USAID, has further restricted access to paediatric and maternity health care in Idlib governorate. As a result, MSF has recorded 141% increase in inpatients paediatric admissions at Salqin hospital in Idlib governorate, between December 2024 and February 2025, along with a 17% increase in maternity admissions and a 7% increase in deliveries by late January. 

Access to primary healthcare is critically limited, with many essential services unavailable. The 14-year war has compromised the quality of care due to shortages in medical staff, lack of essential medications for acute illnesses and insufficient supplies. 

Without an urgent and substantial increase in funding, in volume, coverage, and timeliness, the Syrian health system will face devastating consequences, severely undermining people’s ability to access essential medical services.

Despite the cessation of large-scale hostilities in Syria, the displacement crisis, once considered as the world’s biggest displacement crisis, is still far from over.

MSF calls for increased support to respond to the urgent needs of internally displaced Syrians. With 7.4 million people who remain displaced, 2.1 million people reside in just 1,736 displacement sites, while 5.2 million live outside of these sites. The camps are overcrowded, with poor living conditions and inadequate access to water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities. The medical and humanitarian needs of displaced people are massive, spanning from maternal and child healthcare to mental health support, treatment for non-communicable diseases, vaccinations and preventative care. Immediate action is needed to provide life-saving care to those affected. 

A massive scale-up in investment by EU, Gulf states and US is critical, not only for reconstructing and rehabilitating destroyed shelters and healthcare infrastructure but also for demining efforts to clear unexploded remnants of war, ensuring safer conditions for communities trying to regain their lives. For instance, in February 2025, the National Hospital in Deir ez-Zor treated 87 people wounded by unexploded ordnances and war injuries. This is the only surgical hospital providing trauma care in the entire governorate, and now it is dysfunctional due to a lack of budget, war and neglect. 

The sudden US government funding cuts are putting vulnerable people, especially internally displaced persons (IDPs) at significant risk. This has led to the suspension of essential services, such as water trucking, in some camps, and has severely impacted access to external medical referrals for all formal camps. For the nearly 38,000 people who live in Hol camp, in northeast Syria, services in Hasakah national Hospital have been cut without warning, leaving patients who need vital healthcare to bear the cost of referrals themselves.