Aid and medical workers are searching for ways to reach the many people in need of emergency and general health care amidst a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Aleppo, Syria.
The city’s eastern, rebel-controlled half has been besieged for nearly a month as government-allied forces try to retake ground, leaving nearly a quarter of a million civilians trapped. The last operating hospital there was destroyed in an airstrike in November -- part of a broader pattern of government attacks against medical facilities in opposition-held areas.
Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations, a coalition of Syrian humanitarian and medical groups, is one of the few medical organizations still providing services in Syria, where an estimated 11.5 million people require medical care. UOSSM runs more than 15 primary health care centers and mobile health clinics across the country, in addition to supporting hospitals with medical supplies and needs. It has documented 545 attacks on 250 medical facilities throughout Syria since March 2011.
About the author
Amy Liebermanamylieberman
Amy Lieberman is the U.N. Correspondent for Devex. She covers the United Nations and reports on global development and politics. Amy previously worked as a freelance reporter, covering the environment, human rights, immigration, and health across the U.S. and in more than 10 countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Nepal, and Cambodia. Her coverage has appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, Slate, and the Los Angeles Times. A native New Yorker, Amy received her master’s degree in politics and government from Columbia’s School of Journalism.
