“Today we were able to bring in antibiotics and painkillers, exactly what local health workers told me they needed a few days ago,” says Azret Kalmykov, WHO health cluster coordinator in Syria, after completing the delivery inside the besieged city of 40 000 people.
On 17 February, WHO delivered 15 tonnes of medical supplies to Mouadamieh but some vital medicines were removed.
“We hope that surgical equipment will also be approved for prompt dispatch in the coming days,” says Elizabeth Hoff, WHO Representative in Syria.
In 2015, WHO reported 9 incidents of removal of medical supplies destined for Homs, Aleppo, and Rural Damascus governorates. As a result, more than 140 000 people were deprived of vital medical support.
“WHO continues to call on all parties to this conflict to allow unhindered access and unconditional delivery of medical aid to all areas across Syria,” says Hoff.
Since January 2016, WHO has delivered medicines, medical supplies, and vaccines to a number of hard-to-reach areas in Syria, such as eastern Aleppo city, Douma, Madaya, Kafraya, Foah, Az-Zabadani, Kafr Batna, and Mouadamieh.