Health in Syria

The Ministry of Health provides national direction, while Directorates of Health implement services at subnational level. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Defence and Interior also operate their own facilities. WHO supports technical coordination, logistics and disease surveillance. UNICEF supports vaccination and maternal and child health. National and international NGOs, mobile medical teams and private providers fill some service gaps. The health system is not uniform across Syria, and availability differs between governorates, districts, camps, border areas and hard-to-reach communities. A common care pathway begins at a primary health-care centre, health centre, NGO clinic or mobile medical team. These providers may offer consultation, diagnosis, treatment, prescriptions, laboratory tests, X-rays, vaccination, nutrition services, sexual and reproductive health care, chronic-disease care and mental-health support. They refer patients to public or specialist hospitals when the required service is unavailable locally. In the first quarter of 2026, 16 implementers supported access to primary health care for 437,578 people and 368,530 children and recorded 10,684 home visits. Home visits, community volunteers and the Newborn Care at Home Programme support people who cannot easily reach a facility. Prevention includes routine vaccination, catch-up vaccination, measles-rubella and polio campaigns, fixed vaccination sites, mobile teams and community outreach. The Early Warning, Alert and Response System, known as EWARS, uses 1,427 reporting sites in 14 governorates to detect outbreaks and support rapid response. In July 2026, more than 260 teams targeted over 290,000 children aged six months to five years. Maternal and child health, nutrition, hygiene and risk communication are also part of prevention services. Hospitals and mobile teams provide emergency care for trauma, childbirth complications and other urgent conditions. More specialised services include intensive care, dialysis, cancer treatment, rehabilitation and prosthetics, but access is highly uneven. In the 2024 HeRAMS assessment of 113 health service delivery units in Northeast Syria, basic emergency care was available at 58% of units, partly available at 20%, unavailable at 3% and not normally offered at 19%. The main reported barriers were financing, equipment, personnel and supplies. Care during illness may take place at primary, secondary or tertiary level. Children, mothers, people with infectious diseases, people with chronic conditions, trauma patients and people with mental-health needs use different parts of this network. Medicine availability depends on the facility and region. Syria has an Essential Medicines List from 2022, but continuing shortages and supply interruptions affect treatment continuity. Mental health and psychosocial support, abbreviated as MHPSS, is available through some primary-care facilities, mobile teams and community programmes. Specialist referral and inpatient mental-health care remain limited; in the same Northeast Syria assessment, management of mental disorders was available at 50% of units, partly available at 13%, unavailable at less than 1% and not normally offered at 35%. After treatment, follow-up may include repeat consultations, continuation of chronic medicines, rehabilitation, prosthetic services, MHPSS case management, home visits and community support. Syria has no evidenced nationwide guarantee for a uniform appointment system, referral process or follow-up schedule. Patients should therefore confirm where the next service is available and whether the provider can continue the medicine or treatment plan. There is no single national access rule, tariff, co-payment schedule or waiting-time standard that applies reliably to all providers. Practical access depends on the facility, location, available staff and supplies, security conditions and ability to pay. An identical registration or document requirement has not been established across the country. Internally displaced people, returnees, host communities, women, children and people in hard-to-reach areas are frequent priorities in humanitarian programmes, but eligibility and capacity still differ by provider. Out-of-pocket spending is a major barrier, and medicines bought privately are usually paid for directly. Some UNICEF-supported centres provide consultations, medicines, laboratory tests, X-rays and referrals free of charge for children and women, but this cannot be assumed for all Ministry of Health, NGO or private services. The National Health Strategic Plan 2026–2028 identifies equal treatment, universal health coverage and integrated care without geographic, social or economic discrimination as policy goals. A uniformly enforceable nationwide benefit entitlement and a single complaints procedure have not been evidenced. Local facility rules and provider-specific information on vaccination, MHPSS and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse therefore remain relevant. In 2026, national coordination involved the Ministry of Health and WHO, eight subnational coordination groups, about 100 partners and five hubs. The Health Sector estimated 12.8 million people in need, prioritised 14.3 million people, targeted 8.2 million people and required US$291.7 million; funding stood at 17%. Coverage and facility status remain time- and location-sensitive.