Attacking Medical Facilities in Rural Idlib Deprives Tens of Thousands Residents from Medical Services

Preface: Several hospitals in Idlib countryside were subjected to violent attacks by Syrian regular forces and their allies, during February 2018, these attacks caused the destruction of these hospitals and put them totally out of services. On February 14, 2018, the "Sham Hospital”, located in Hass[1] town, southern rural Idlib, was targeted with four raids by warplanes, believed to be Russian, which put it completely out of service, and as confirmed by the field researcher of Syrians for Truth and Justice/ STJ, most medical facilities in the southern countryside of Idlib went out of service, particularly after the targeting of "Sham Hospital" in the town of Hass, the last medical facility being targeted.

On the other hand, about 65 thousand civilians in the city of Saraqib[2] in eastern Idlib countryside have been deprived of any medical services and forced to move elsewhere in order to access to treatment, especially after the successive targets, which put most hospitals and medical points in the city out of service. The last of which was on February 5, 2018, where the Blood Bank- Thalassemia treatment center was targeted by warplanes believed to be Russian, which put it completely out of service. Syrian regular forces and their allies had previously targeted the "Uday Al Hussein" Hospital, the only hospital in the city, on January 29, 2018, which deprives thousands of civilians from the services of this hospital and destructed it completely.

These attacks are part of the military campaign launched by the Syrian regular forces and their allies on the cities and towns of Idlib province since October 2017, this campaign started with attempts to control villages and towns in the northern rural Hama[3] and then headed to other villages and towns in the eastern and southern countryside of Idlib. The campaign has left a number of massacres of civilians, including two horrific ones occurred in the Ma`arat al-Nu`man and Hass town in February 2018, according to a previous report prepared by STJ.

STJ had earlier prepared a joint report with the Bellingcat and the Syrian Archive entitled "After Six Months! Medical Facilities Still under Fire" the report documented the targeting of four hospitals in Idlib province by warplanes during the period from January 3, 2018 to January 5, 2018. The organization was also published in partnership with the Syrian Archive organization, Justice for Life, Bellingcat and an air monitoring organization a report entitled "Medical Facilities under Fire: Systematic Attacks Against Idlib Hospitals during April 2017." The report details the attacks, which targeted eight hospitals or medical facilities within only one month in Idlib province.

First: Targeting "Sham Hospital ", the Last Active Medical Facility in the Southern Rural Idlib:

On February 14, 2018, the "Sham Hospital" in the town of Hass was subjected to aerial bombardment, where warplanes, believed to be Russian, launched four raids on the hospital, in which several high-explosive rockets were shot down causing extensive destruction to the hospital departments and put it completely out of service. In this regard, “Wasil al-Jerk”, the director of Sham Hospital, said:

"Sham Hospital, was the last active hospital being targeted in the southern rural Idlib. The hospital was serving approximately 88 thousand people, and the number increased after most of the surgical and gynaecology hospitals went out of service in southern rural Idlib being also bombed. The number of Sham Hospital’s services recipients has reached, in January 2018 alone, about 8000 thousand people. The hospital provided radiology, laboratory analyses, internal clinics and general surgical specialties. At 7:45 p.m. on February 14, 2018, the hospital was hit by four high-explosive rockets by a Russian warplane-according to the military aviation observatory–one of the rockets hit the hospital building directly and destroyed it completely, in addition to the damage of the operating rooms and the drug depot. The hospital guard also was slightly injured. These raids targeted the hospital building directly and put it completely out of service.  "

An image shows a side of the destruction caused to the "Sham Hospital" in Hass town, southern rural Idlib, on February 14, 2018. Photo credit: STJ

Another testimony given by one of the nurses, who was in the hospital at the time of the attack, he assured STJ that attacking "Sham Hospital" followed the aerial bombardment, which also believed to be Russian, on Ma'aret Hurmah village in Ma`arat al-Nu`man suburbs which left some injured persons who were taken to the " Sham Hospital ". He continued:

"Just one hour before attacking Sham Hospital, the village of Ma'aret Hurmah in Ma`arat al-Nu`man suburbs was bombed by Russian warplanes, resulting in several injuries that were transferred to Sham Hospital, according to many of the observatories. Meanwhile the reconnaissance planes were monitoring the movement of the ambulances heading towards the hospital, and at 7:55 p.m., the hospital was bombed with the first raid, immediately we evacuated the patients from the hospital. However, warplanes returned to the hospital and conducted a second raid, this time the rocket landed directly in the center of the hospital building, putting the hospital completely out of service. Now we are facing a humanitarian catastrophe in the full sense of the word, there are more than 300 thousands people, locals and displaced, have been deprived from the services of this hospital.  "

A video footage broadcasted by Orient TV Channel showed a side of the destruction caused to the "Sham Hospital" in the town of Hass, following the aerial bombardment of February 14, 2018.

An image shows a part of the devastation caused to Sham surgical hospital in Hass, following aerial bombardment on February 14, 2018. Photo credit: STJ

According to STJ field researcher, pro-government military aircraft focused its raids ,during the recent military campaign on the countryside of Idlib, on medical facilities and ambulances, where targeting more than 21 medical points and hospitals by warplanes was recorded , the most prominent of which was the " Uday Al Hussein " hospital in Saraqib city in the eastern countryside of Idlib, the national Hospital in Ma`arat al-Nu`man city and the "Surgical Hospital" in Kafr Nabl. STJ field researcher added that the aim of the pro-government forces was to cause shortfall in the medical, humanitarian and service fields in rural Idlib areas through the successive targeting of service facilities.

On February 15, 2018, the Coordination and Support Office for Response Coordinators in northern Syria also issued a statistical report in which it listed (21) medical points and hospitals which went out of service as a result of aerial bombardment in Idlib countryside until February 15, 2018.

An image shows the statistical report issued by the Coordination and Support Office of the Response Coordinators in northern Syria, in which it listed the number of medical points and hospitals, which went out of service in Idlib countryside, until February 15, 2018.

Photo credit: Facebook page of the Response Coordinators in northern Syria.

Second: More than 65 Thousand People are without Medical Services in the City of Saraqib in the Eastern Idlib Countryside:

On February 5, 2018, the Local Council announced the city of Saraqib, a stricken city, after the medical and service facilities were targeted and went completely out of service because of the recent military campaign, carried out by the Syrian regular forces and their allies, which mainly targeted medical centers including the only hospital in the city "Uday Al Hussein", which was subjected to an aerial bombardment on January 29, 2018, according to a previous joint report prepared by STJ with the Bellingcat and the Syrian Archive entitled "After Six Months! Medical Facilities Still under Fire”

An image shows the statement issued by the Local Council of the city of Saraqib on February 5, 2018, through which it announced Saraqib a “stricken city” as a result of the military campaign recently launched by the Syrian regular forces and their allies Photo credit: The Local Council of Saraqib.

Muthana al-Mohammad, the head of the Local Council of Saraqib city, assured STJ that in the latest military campaign, pro-government forces used many types of weapons to bomb Saraqib, which led to put all medical and service facilities completely out of service, he continued:

"The population in Saraqib is estimated to 65 thousand persons, a large part of them are displaced. They are currently living within this stricken city without any medical services, we in the Local Council appeal to all humanitarian organizations to intervene and provide the required support to the residents of Saraqib, to date there is no support provided by any actor to activate service installations and medical facilities. Civilians are currently facing tragic medical conditions, as many of them are obliged to go to other areas in the province in order to get some medical services."

Hasan Kaddour, a doctor from Saraqib city, told STJ that all the medical points in the city went out of service due to the shelling they were subjected to. The most prominent attacks were the ones targeted “Uday Al Hussein” Hospital, and the Blood Bank-Thalassemia Treatment Center, as it was directly targeted by warplanes, believed to be Russian, on February 5, 2018, which put it completely out of service, and also resulted in the wounding of three of its staff members, pointing that the Blood Bank was considered the first of its kind in Idlib province, which provided its services to all residents there. In this regard he continued:

"The Blood Bank was offering its services to anyone who needs any of the blood components which is not available in Idlib, such as red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma. In January 2018 alone, the Blood Bank provided 1240 blood bags, the number of blood donors reached 650 persons, while the patients it has served (550), in addition to 200 blood transfusions at the Thalassemia Center in the city of Saraqib. However, now many of these patients are deprived from these services, and there is an urgent need to rehabilitate the Blood Bank and to provide new medical equipment to the Thalassemia Center so that it can function again, and this will undoubtedly increase the humanitarian crisis in the city."

An image shows a side of the destruction caused to the Blood Bank-Thalassemia Treatment Center in Saraqib, following aerial bombardment of February 5, 2018. Photo credit: STJ

An image shows an aspect of the destruction of the Blood Bank-Thalassemia Treatment Center in Saraqib, following the aerial bombardment of February 5, 2018. Photo credit: STJ

Analysis of visual evidence that shows the

"Blood Bank" after being targeted on February 5, 2018.

According to STJ field researcher, targeting service installations and medical facilities in Saraqib city by pro-government forces disrupted the living in Saraqib, which led to the displacement of many of its population to safer areas such as (Idlib, Sarmada and Āţimah), pointing out that thousands of civilians in the eastern and the south-eastern countryside of Idlib are deprived of medical services, as many hospitals and medical points in those areas went out of service.