Thousands at risk as Syrian government bombing forces closure of key hospitals and health centres

World Health Organisation issues warning after 14 health centres and two hospitals shut due to attacks by Assad regime

The WHO has warned if the bombing and conflict continues a further 42 health facilities in and around Idleb are at risk of suspending their services (Getty)

Two hospitals and 14 health centres in northern Syria have been forced to close because of increasing conflict in the area, sparking fears for thousands of citizens.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it is concerned about the conditions for people living in Idlib as the Syrian government launched a major offensive against the opposition stronghold.

Tens of thousands of citizens have fled the area as the Assad regime launched repeated airstrikes just before Christmas.

According to the WHO, 2.7m people living in northwest Syria need access to healthcare, 500,000 of whom are in Idlib.

It said 14 primary health care centres and two hospitals have been closed due to the conflict.

Al Salam Hospital’s maternity services have been fully suspended with staff evacuated on 20 December while Al Ma’ra National Hospital was evacuated and closed on 23 December.

Two haemodialysis centres in Ma’aret al-Noman and Babilla were also closed, leaving about 35 patients in need of life-saving blood filtration treatment.

The WHO has warned if the bombing and conflict continues, a further 42 health facilities in and around Idlib are at risk of suspending their services.

The organisation said shortages of drugs, medical supplies and healthcare workers will further aggravate the situation, leaving hundreds of thousands without access to essential healthcare services.

Dr Richard Brennan, director of health emergencies for WHO’s eastern Mediterranean region said: “The recent military escalation in this area has resulted in the loss of lives, injuries and exacerbated the suffering of civilians, displacing more than 130,000, including women, children and elderly.

“Some have been displaced three times during the nine years of the Syrian conflict.”

He added: “We are supporting mobile health teams, have distributed pre-positioned health kits and supplies, extended support for mental health services and will continue to do what we can to ensure health and protect the vulnerable.”

By the end of November, WHO said there had been 83 attacks on healthcare facilities in Syria since January 2019, with 69 of them in the northwest region.