Leading field hospital to close as opposition halts funds

Reporting by Faris Al Rifai; Writing by Yusra Ahmed

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Horriya “Freedom” Hospital in Marea town, which grew under Hajji marea’s supervision, stayed in helping wounded and patients during Aleppo’s battles, but after more than two years, it closed because of the revolution’s thieves, activists regretted the end of Horriya Field Hospital in Marea.

The hospital shut up its doors after ceasing all support needed to keep it going on, as the interim government via the ministry of Health, and other agencies, discontinued supporting it.

“After 4 months with no salaries for workers, and $7500 debt to Marea’s people which was given to the hospital aiming to get their money back when the fund arrive, the significantly successful relief experience died, the hospital helped people in Marea and a wide geographic area covers from Aleppo and Azaz to Turkish borders” Dr. Abdul Rahman al-Hafez said.

The hospital started as a small medical point, toward the end of 2012, it was moved to a big building equipped with all needs, it was supported by many voluntary and relief agencies like Doctors without borders, Syrian American Medical Society “SAMS” and Syria Industrial and Marketing Association “SIMA”. “Support used to come interruptedly, therefore we borrowed money from Marea’s people to pay back when fund come” al-Hafez continued .

The Hospital manager explained that crisis started in April 2014, when the Interim Government was formed, and ministry of Health was part of it, which promised to cover all hospital’s needs, but it did not keep the promise, only paid salaries and expenses for April, with a decision to cover May, June and July, but did abide by it even till October . “Because of lack of fund and low income, most staff and doctors left hospital to other medical facilities, which are supported by powerful agency with stable support. Disconnecting the hospital from the relief agencies was the biggest mistake”, added.

The hospital stayed 6 months without any support and fund, apart from borrowing some money from Marea’s people. When the Hospital representatives contacted the Interim Government, they claimed that Government was only kind of formality, with no effects or power or enough fund, and they cannot fund all field hospitals inside Syria, bureaucracy and instability inside the National Coalition, make the Government helpless in taking any decision or provide fund.

“The hospital's experience is exceptional, as it had a strategic location on the road between Aleppo and Turkey, it was the only hospital with CT scan and advanced X-ray equipments, with 4 beds in the ICU and 2 operation rooms, gynecology department, with about 17 specialists of Medicine, General Surgery, Orthopaedics, ENT” al-Hafez said.

About the work load of the hospital, the manager declared that 60 caesarean section were performed, daily outpatient clinic load reached to 5000 patients for free, besides providing medication, 80% of hospital’s services were to Marea’s people and countryside.

“We were better before joining the Interim Government, we worked with some difficulties, but now we are disabled”, al-Hafez sadly ended.