The long-awaited reopening of Turkish hospitals for Syrians with cancer

2023-06-14 13:12:08

Ambulances at the Syrian-Turkish border post of Bab Al-Hawa, February 23, 2023. OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP

“Access to Turkish care is a relief! », admits Besher Naial, a resident of Reyhanli, in southern Turkey, reached by telephone. Her sister Sara lives across the border in Syria. Suffering from breast cancer, which has spread in the blood for more than a year and nine months, she was able to cross the main border crossing of Bab Al-Hawa for cancer patients on June 13. , which had remained inaccessible since the earthquake of February 6.

“In Syria, we lack equipment, they mightn’t operate on my sister. In Türkiye, it is certain that it will be better », rejoices Besher Naial. Like Sara, at least 4,300 Syrians had been left without access to Turkish radiotherapy, according to the Union of Relief Organizations and Medical Care (UOSSM).

Sanjana Quazi, head of coordination of UN humanitarian affairs in Turkey, also welcomed the ” good news “ on Twitter, following Turkish hospitals reopened for Syrians with cancer. But other NGOs, such as Médecins sans frontières (MSF), regret the limited number of people cared for. “More than 800 people affected by carcinogenic cells are on the waiting list of the Bab Al-Hawa medical office. However, since the reopening of the crossing on June 5, only 50 people have been able to go to Turkish medical centers”underlines Ahmed Rahmo, project coordinator for MSF in the region of Idleb, in Syria.

“Onshore Health System”

Before the earthquake, many patients living in the northwestern regions used the Bab Al-Hawa passage daily. But Ankara, where the health sector has been overwhelmed by Turkish earthquake victims, has closed its crossings for civilians. 450 Syrians treated in Turkish hospitals were then sent back to the other side of the border. Among them, Umm Ahmad, suffering from breast cancer. This mother from Idleb recounts, in a report drawn up by the NGOs Relief International (RI) and Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), having been deprived of medical care for four months. ” What do I have to do ? Die slowly here? », she wonders.

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Every year, 3,000 new cases of cancer are detected in the northwestern region of Syria. This precarious health situation is notably due to the exposure of the population to various types of chemicals and carcinogens from armaments. If today MSF hopes push the government to open the border to all Syrians in need of complex surgeries “, in the long term the NGO appeals above all for international aid in order to rebuild ” a health system [mis] down ».

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