Over half of Syria’s hospitals non-functional

Over half of Syria's hospitals are currently not functional, 141 health facilities face imminent closure due to funding shortages, and between 50 percent and 70 percent of Syrian medical workers have left Syria, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The health sector in Syria is extremely fragile, infrastructure construction has been neglected, and in addition, economic sanctions have exacerbated the deterioration of the health situation.

"The Syrian people suffered two kinds of harm during the war: direct harm caused by killing or destruction, and indirect harm caused by the inability to receive proper treatment and obtain appropriate food. In some special disease fields, such as the field of oncology, a large number of victims die due to the inability to receive treatment," said Nawal Najma, a chief physician at the Al-Mouwasat Hospital, the largest public hospital in Syria.

Syria is still suffering from a shortage of medicines at present, including drugs for treating chronic diseases, which is caused by economic sanctions, said a pharmacist Batoul Mohammed.

"Syria has no raw material industry and can only rely on imports. These sanctions have affected pharmaceutical factories, preventing them from producing sufficiently effective drugs. For instance, many drugs are not available in pharmacies in Syria," said Mohammed.

Najma said due to economic sanctions, it is very difficult to import and maintain equipment.

"All the sanctions and economic crises that Syria has suffered over the past 14 years have greatly affected the technological level of medical devices at all levels, especially the radiology department, laboratory and dialysis department have been greatly negatively affected," said Najma.

During the war, a large number of doctors have emigrated and there is a severe shortage of highly qualified doctors and nurses in various specialties. Some doctors continue to work in Syria only out of humanitarian spirit, Najma said.

Over half of Syria’s hospitals non-functional

Over half of Syria’s hospitals non-functional

At the invitation of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Losang Jamcan on Tuesday attended Museveni's inauguration in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.

Museveni met with Losang Jamcan, also vice chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, at the State House on Thursday.

Losang Jamcan conveyed Xi's congratulations and best wishes to Museveni, saying that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state in recent years, the China-Uganda comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has maintained high-level development.

China is willing to work with Uganda to carry forward the traditional friendship, strengthen the alignment of development strategies, deepen all-round cooperation across various fields, and make greater contributions to building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, he said.

For his part, Museveni asked Losang Jamcan to convey his greetings to Xi, thanked the Chinese president for sending a special envoy to attend his inauguration ceremony, and highly praised China's development path and Uganda-China relations.

Museveni said Uganda is willing to work with China to firmly support each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concerns, advance practical cooperation in various fields, and continuously deliver benefits to the two peoples.

Xi's special envoy attends Ugandan president's inauguration