October 2nd, 2024 ― Doha, Qatar: Under Qatar Red Crescent Society’s (QRCS) medical convoys program, in cooperation with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Sidra Medicine, and Aspetar, a Qatari medical convoy in northern Syria completed its humanitarian mission of enhancing access to specialized surgical services in northwestern Syria, by deploying volunteering medical experts from Qatar to back the health sector in northern Syria.

Headed by Dr. Abdullah Rashid Al-Nuaimi, Consultant Urologist at HMC, the medical delegation performed 103 major surgeries typically not available in northern Syria, provided medical consultations for 200 patients with serious illnesses, and delivered three training workshops for 41 local doctors at hospitals in northern Syria.

Also, the project involved capacity-building of Syrian hospitals, by procuring medical equipment and surgical tools to enable them to perform advanced surgeries.

Carried out in cooperation with Idlib Health Directorate and several hospitals in the target region, these efforts helped greatly alleviate the suffering of 344 patients, in addition to 1,720 indirect beneficiaries, making a real difference in their lives.

Over the coming few months, there will be more medical convoys in different medical specializations. QRCS pays great attention to medical convoys, already deployed to Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Palestine, Somalia, Bangladesh, and many other countries where conflicts and natural disasters affected the health sector and heightened the need for significant and life-saving surgeries.

In a statement, Mazin Abdullah, head of QRCS’s representation office in Turkey, said, “I am proud of the efforts by the medical delegation, who had been offering the Syrian patients excellent medical care. Over five days, we reached out to as many patients in need of surgeries as possible. Thanks to the hard work of our doctors, we had an impressive result of successfully performing dozens of complex surgeries. This medical convoy not only demonstrated the profoundly positive impact of such endeavors on people’s lives, but also helped strengthen the local medical community in northern Syria, which will translate into permanent specialized medical services in the region”.

Dr. Zuhair Al-Qarrat, Idlib Health Director, commented, “The medical convoy deployed by QRCS was twofold. First, direct medical services were provided for patients, through complex surgeries that previously had no effective solutions. Thanks to the expertise and advanced technologies of the medical delegation, high-quality medical services were provided to improve the health conditions of the patients. The other key component was training for local medical professionals. The medical delegation held intensive training courses for local doctors and nurses. This training would upgrade their skills and ensure a continued positive impact of the convoy. The trained doctors can use the information and skills they learned to improve medical services in the future. This comprehensive approach makes QRCS’s efforts a model of how to sustainably boost the local health system”.