Doctors Without Borders said that more than 70 percent of the Syrian population needs "urgent" humanitarian aid, and confirmed its efforts to expand its activities in areas that were "impossible" to reach during the era of the ousted regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
In an interview with the Anadolu Agency, Carlos Arias, the organization's medical coordinator in Syria, explained that humanitarian work in Syria faces "major challenges amid increasing needs of the population."
Arias pointed out that "more than 70 percent of the Syrian population still needs urgent humanitarian aid, while only a third of the necessary funding is provided" to meet the necessary needs.
He explained that "the spread of diseases due to the lack of water and sanitation is exacerbating the situation," noting that "infectious diseases continue to spread throughout the country."
With the approach of the harsh winter season, Arias warned that "residents will be forced to sell their basic belongings to buy fuel or heating supplies, which makes the situation more tragic."
The organization's official called for an "urgent increase" in the volume of humanitarian aid provided to Syria by the international community.
* Critical situation
Arias revealed that the health situation in Syria is "very critical", especially in Aleppo and Damascus.
He said: "Today, people are dying due to a lack of medicines for diseases that can be easily treated. Patients arrive with known diseases and the way to treat them is clear, but we cannot provide them with treatment, due to a lack of medicines."
He continued: "It is very frustrating, and there are 20 hospitals that are not working and 38 hospitals that are partially working," according to data from the World Health Organization.
Arias pointed out that "hospitals that are still providing medical services are facing great difficulties due to a lack of medicines and high fuel prices, which affects the ability of medical teams to reach" patients throughout the country.
* Expanding the scope of aid
Arias explained that Doctors Without Borders was able to deliver aid to new areas that were inaccessible during the regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
He stressed that the aid includes donations to hospitals and food supplies for camps for the displaced.
He also noted that the organization is working in coordination with the new authorities in Damascus to ensure access to all areas and meet the health needs in the country, with a current focus on the cities of Aleppo and Damascus.
* Support for reconstruction
Arias stressed the "urgent need for international funding" to support the reconstruction of Syria.
He said: "There is a severe shortage of reconstruction funding, and the international community must act and increase its financial support for Syria."
Arias expressed his hope that "the situation will improve over time, and that Syria will become a country that depends less on humanitarian aid than it was before the outbreak of the conflict."
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