DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Minister of Higher Education Dr. Mohammad Yehya Moalla and World Health Organization (WHO) charge d'affaires in Syria Elizabeth Hoff on Wednesday discussed means to boost cooperation between the two sides to provide the needs of the health sector and support its establishments in light of the pressure placed on this sector due to the economic siege imposed on Syria.

Moalla pointed out that educational hospitals are under heavy burdens and working at maximum capacity due to the crisis taking place in Syria, the vandalism of several hospitals by terrorists, and the siege imposed on Syria which prevents the procurement of medical supplies, equipment and medicine.

He stressed that educational hospitals need respiratory and dialysis equipment and medicine for blood diseases, cancer and terminal diseases, noting that the inability of hospitals to procure cancer medicine has entailed considerable financial costs for patients who used to receive such medicine for free.

In turn, Hoff said that the WHO is prepared to provide the various needs of health establishments, particularly what is needed to save lives, pointing out that she received a grant from the WHO main office in Geneva to provide medical supplies, a Norwegian grant to provide blood testing equipment, and a grant in the form of medicine from India valued at USD 1 million.

Hoff called for providing a list of medical needs of health establishments in order to find other donors willing to provide support, especially from BRICS countries, adding that the WHO can open doors and facilitate contact between the Syrian health sector and the countries in the world in light of the siege imposed on Syria.

She also noted that Syria managed to achieve remarkable health indicators in comparison to other countries in the region.

H. Sabbagh