ICRC response in Southern Syria: Operational update

Support to life-saving and other healthcare services

Since the onset of the crisis, hospitals in Sweida, Shahba and Dara’a have been under severe strain due to a large influx of casualties and disruptions in essential services such as medical supplies, food, electricity and water. The overwhelming scale of healthcare needs has quickly depleted available resources, placing immense pressure on medical services and personnel. Reports have also indicated many attacks on healthcare workers and facilities, further compromising the already fragile healthcare system. 

To help address the most urgent gaps, the ICRC has provided support in the form of critical medical items such as weapon-wounded kits—each sufficient to treat 25 severely injured patients. A total of seven kits were distributed to Sweida National Hospital, Shahba Hospital and Dara’a National Hospital. Additionally, three primary health care kits, each covering the needs of 10,000 patients for two months, were distributed to SARC Sweida Mobile Medical Teams, the Sweida Directorate of Health and the SARC Daraa Mobile Health Unit. 

To strengthen emergency response capacity, eight first aid and pre-hospital emergency kits were provided, four each to SARC Emergency Medical Services in Sweida and Dara’a. 

Support for non-communicable diseases was also prioritized, with the delivery of diagnostic equipment, consumables, medication, and 8,700 vials of insulin, distributed centrally by the Ministry of Health through the Directorate of Health, along with five cold boxes to ensure proper storage and transport.

Addressing basic daily needs

The escalation of violence also caused shortages of food in Sweida and for displaced families in Dara’a. While humanitarian assistance has started to flow, the situation remains dire and will require more sustainable solutions. 

In Shahba, a city in rural Sweida,1050 parcels of canned food were distributed to internally displaced families.

To address some of the initial needs, 500 food parcels were delivered to Sweida National Hospital and Shahba National Hospital’s staff, patients and their accompanying family members, to ensure the medical team could continue operating effectively and those receiving care had access to sufficient nutrition during their recovery. 

In Shahba, a city in rural Sweida, 1,050 parcels of canned food were distributed to internally displaced families.

To support families displaced from Sweida to Dara’a and Saida Zeinab, the ICRC, together with SARC, delivered essential relief items across several sites. In Saida Zeinab, 700 canned food parcels and 800 kilograms of dates were distributed. In Al-Sahweh, where displaced households have taken refuge in schools now turned into shelters, the ICRC supported three sites with 400 parcels of canned food and 1,600 mattresses.