Syria Today | UN donates medical supplies

UN donates medical supplies

The UNHCR donated 20 ambulances and 10 cooling chambers for storing medical supplies to the Syrian Ministry of Health on October 15.

The equipment was provided as part of an agreement signed in 2008 between the UNHCR and the Syrian government under which UN agency procures medical equipment to ease the added strains put on the health system by the Iraqi refugee population.

“The Syrian government has long provided Iraqis with access to primary and emergency health care and the UNHCR supplements the existing health care infrastructure,” Farah Dakhlallah, spokesperson for UNHCR in Syria, told Syria Today. “We ask the ministry and other health partners to identify their priorities and we try to help them accordingly.”

Syria hosts the largest number of Iraqi refugees in the region, a number which swelled to 1.2 million at its peak, according to government figures. As of September 30, 215,429 refugees were registered with the UNHCR. All the refugees, registered or unregistered, are eligible to access the country’s health system.

“The equipment we provide to the Ministry of Health and Syrian Arab Red Crescent clinics benefits both Syrians and Iraqis,” Dakhlallah said.

In other UNHCR news, actress- turned-UN-Ambassador Angelina Jolie made a surprise visit to Syria on October 2. Accompanied by husband Brad Pitt, the couple met and talked to Iraqi refugees.