Cash for Care? PIN supports staff and patients in an infirmary in Aleppo city through our Cash for Work programme
Published: Apr 7, 2016 Reading time: 3 minutes Share: Share an articleIn 2015, the number of attacks on medical facilities in Syria spiked. The country witnessed a significant increase in the number of attacks on medical facilities compared to the previous year, with human rights groups documenting over 110 attacks in 2015 alone. An average of one attack every three days. People in Need with the support of the EU, German government and Alliance2015 partners organization Welthungerhilfe provides assistance to the last infirmary in non-government controlled areas of Aleppo city.
Since the conflict began in 2011, nearly two-thirds of hospitals have been destroyed or remain only partly functional. The beginning of 2016 saw no improvement, as the destruction of hospitals and medical facilities continued into the new year. The international community has called time and again for international humanitarian law to be upheld and respected; and for all warring parties to immediately cease attacks on schools, hospitals and other critical civilian infrastructure. However, the violation of humanitarian law has continued.
An attack on a medical facility is not a matter of physical and material destruction alone but the psychological impact on a society that has lost its right to protect and treat the sick and injured is also profound. Scores of life-saving medical staff have been killed, kidnapped, threatened or forced to leave the country, leaving under-qualified staff to cope with a mounting casualty toll. Physicians for Human Rights documented the deaths of 107 medical personnel in the last year alone; bringing the total known number of health worker deaths between March 2011 and December 2015 up to 705.
The last infirmary in non-government controlled areas of Aleppo city
While the health needs of civilians continue to grow and emergency cases continue to consume the time and priority of over-worked staff, the needs of patients and vulnerable individuals suffering from long-term conditions, disabilities and restricted movement are also critical. For these vulnerable members of society, access to functioning health care services is very limited. In Aleppo city, before the war there were four infirmaries providing services for the local population. Today, in non-government controlled areas of Aleppo City, there is access to only one infirmary - the Dar al-Ajaza infirmary.
At the Dar al-Ajaza infirmary there are over 200 people in need of care. Among these patients are many elderly people who require regular care and assistance as well as mentally and physically disabled people of all ages.
The war has considerably impacted on the needs of patients here, as fewer and fewer resources are available for such kinds of healthcare services. Therefore, since July 2015, PIN has been supporting this infirmary in Aleppo city through our Cash for Work programme, via our Syrian partner organization, Basamat. PIN’s Cash for Work programme directly supports those who have lost their sources of livelihood due to the war. At this facility PIN supports both the workers and patients by providing staff with salaries to cover their daily needs and ensuring, thereby, the provision of services for those of others.
The dedicated infirmary staff wash, cook, clean, clothe, and care for the 210 patients at this facility. PIN aims to empower men and women by providing opportunities for work whilst enabling essential services to continue to the benefit of the most vulnerable in society.
It is with the generous support of the European Union Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) and the German government, via a German Alliance2015 partner organization Welthungerhilfe that this assistance is delivered.
