The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Lifeline for Syria's children: New initiative to transform pediatric healthcare
A new partnership between UNOPS and KSrelief will bring vital healthcare services to more than 840,000 children in conflict-affected Syria.
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, UNOPS and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed a $1.5 million project to help improve pediatric healthcare in conflict-affected communities in Syria. New medical equipment and facilities will benefit over hundreds of thousands of children.
The protracted conflict has left Syria’s healthcare system in a state of collapse. Years of devastation have left only a fraction of health facilities fully functional, with a severe shortage of essential equipment and specialized care. A shortage of healthcare professionals has created critical gaps, leaving millions of people without access to basic medical services. For Syria’s children, this has resulted in a lack of access to life-saving medical procedures.
The project will help address a critical gap in health services. In Aleppo, where no pediatric cardiac surgery facility currently exists, UNOPS will equip a new Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Ibn Roshed Hospital for Cardiac Diseases and Surgery. Additionally, the project will provide essential medical equipment to three hospitals in Hama Governorate.
In the face of immense needs, the people of Syria need urgent and practical solutions, both to respond to their current needs, but also to lay the foundation for an inclusive, resilient and sustainable future. Together, we are building a lifeline for Syria's children.
“We are pleased to partner with UNOPS to strengthen healthcare capacities and enhance emergency health response for children in Northern Syria,” said Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of KSrelief.
“Through providing specialized medical equipment for pediatric intensive care units and pediatric cardiac surgery, we are helping to deliver high-quality medical care to Syria’s most vulnerable children, building a healthier, brighter future for them and their families,” he added.
Since its establishment in 2015, KSrelief – the humanitarian arm of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – has provided over $8 billion in aid to 108 countries, with $532 million of that total provided to Syria.
Over the last decade, UNOPS has remained in Syria, delivering projects amid ongoing conflicts, and addressing some of the most critical challenges affecting the people of Syria and within neighbouring countries and communities hosting Syrian refugees.
This new initiative, forged under the existing UNOPS-KSrelief Joint Cooperation Agreement, is a crucial step towards the development and recovery of Syria.
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