Medical relief group: Syria hospitals need 'fortification'


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

GENEVA (AP) — A medical relief advocacy groups says over 100 hospitals in Syria were hit by Syrian or Russian airstrikes last year, urging the "fortification" of medical facilities such as by adding reinforced concrete or blast-resistant windows.

In a 90-page report released Saturday, the International Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations, or UOSSM, also decries an "alarming scarcity" of specialized care and supplies.

The report says all 107 hospitals surveyed in December in seven regions were hit at least once by "direct or indirect airstrikes" last year — some as many as 25 times.

Three-quarters of hospitals surveyed were "makeshift hospitals," in buildings not initially designed to provide medical care, because real hospitals were either destroyed or made inoperable.

UOSSM says all parties knew those sites were makeshift hospitals.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent World stories

Related topics

World
The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast