German development minister pledges help for Syrian healthcare system

German development minister pledges help for Syrian healthcare system Germany is supporting Syria's healthcare system with partnerships between Syrian and German hospitals
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January 15, 2025 20:00
German development minister pledges help for Syrian healthcare system

Germany is supporting Syria's healthcare system with partnerships between Syrian and German hospitals, Development Minister Svenja Schulze said while visiting Damascus on January 15, Report informs via DPA International.

Schulze met with Syrian doctors as well as the de-facto health minister in Syria's transitional government, Maher al-Sharaa, a physician and the brother of the country's de-facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Schulze's ministry sees enormous challenges in Syria's healthcare system, which has historically been very strong.

Doctors from Germany are to travel to Syria to offer training courses or to practice using new equipment with local colleagues, and training courses in Germany are also possible under the programme.

The targeted bombing of hospitals by former Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad's forces during the country's brutal and lengthy civil war, and the flight of many trained doctors and nurses abroad, has left major gaps.

According to the German Development Ministry, more than half of Syria's healthcare workforce has left the country.

Around 5,800 doctors and 2,000 nurses with Syrian passports are working in Germany alone, according to government figures, and many other Syrian-born doctors have now been naturalized.

Orphus sistemi