Syria as a War-Torn Country: How Prepared Are We for the Next Pandemic?

In late 2021, a young physician at a public hospital in Damascus had to choose which of two critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients would receive the last available intensive care unit (ICU) bed. There were no ventilators left, and oxygen supplies were running dangerously low. This scenario, emblematic of Syria's overwhelmed health care system, illustrates how COVID-19 did not create new problems—it magnified those left by years of conflict, underfunding, and migration of health professionals.

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
18. Februar 2026

• References

• 1 Fouad FM, Sparrow A, Tarakji A. et al. Health workers and the weaponisation of health care in Syria: a preliminary inquiry for The Lancet-American University of Beirut Commission on Syria. Lancet 2017; 390 (10111): 2516-2526
• 2 Hanafi I, Alzamel L, Alnabelsi O, Sallam S, Almousa S. Lessons learnt from the first wave of COVID-19 in Damascus, Syria: a multicentre retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open 2023; 13 (07) e065280
• 3 Mustafa S, Zhang Y, Zibwowa Z. et al. COVID-19 preparedness and response plans from 106 countries: a review from a health systems resilience perspective. Health Policy Plan 2022; 37 (02) 255-268
• 4 Alhaffar MHDBA, Janos S. Public health consequences after ten years of the Syrian crisis: a literature review. Global Health 2021; 17 (01) 111
• 5 Yucesahin MM, Sirkeci I. Demographic gaps between Syrian and the European populations: what do they suggest?. Border Crossing. 2017; 7 (02) 207-230
• 6 Melhem N, Kreidieh K, Ramia S. The Syrian refugees crisis brings challenges to the health authorities in Europe: hepatitis a virus is a case in point. Eur J Epidemiol 2016; 31 (07) 711-714
• 7 Assi R, Özger-İlhan S, İlhan MN. Health needs and access to health care: the case of Syrian refugees in Turkey. Public Health 2019; 172: 146-152
• 8 Blanchet K, Fouad FM, Pherali T. Syrian refugees in Lebanon: the search for universal health coverage. Confl Health 2016; 10: 12
• 9 Hanafi I, Kheder K, Sabouni R. et al. Factors influencing research productivity among Syrian medical professionals amidst conflict: a case-control study. BMC Med Educ 2024; 24 (01) 747
• 10 El Achi N, Papamichail A, Rizk A. et al. A conceptual framework for capacity strengthening of health research in conflict: the case of the Middle East and North Africa region. Global Health 2019; 15 (01) 81
• 11 Alahdab F, Alabed S, Al-Moujahed A. et al. Evidence-based medicine: a persisting desire under fire. Evid Based Med 2017; 22 (01) 9-11
• 12 Hassan B. Evidence-Based Medicine in Cardiology: An innovative approach to integrating research and clinical learning in Syria. Presented at: Association for Medical Education in Syria (AMES) Conference 2025 ; November 7–8, 2025; Damascus, Syria. Conference presentation; data not yet published
• 13 Jain N, Prasad S, Czárth ZC. et al. War psychiatry: identifying and managing the neuropsychiatric consequences of armed conflicts. J Prim Care Community Health 2022; 13: 21 501319221106625
• 14 Kakaje A, Al Zohbi R, Hosam Aldeen O, Makki L, Alyousbashi A, Alhaffar MBA. Mental disorder and PTSD in Syria during wartime: a nationwide crisis. BMC Psychiatry 2021; 21 (01) 2
• 15 Soqia J, Alameer MB, Yakoub-Agha L. et al. Challenges of poor sleep quality and mental health issues among Syrian medical residents in 22 major hospitals across Syria. J Sleep Res 2025; 34 (04) e14469
• 16 Radfar A, Ferreira MM, Sosa JP, Filip I. Emergent crisis of COVID-19 pandemic: mental health challenges and opportunities. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12: 631008
• 17 Al Nsour M, Bashier H, Al Serouri A. et al. The role of the Global Health Development/Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network and the Eastern Mediterranean Field Epidemiology Training Programs in preparedness for COVID-19. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2020; 6 (01) e18503