21 September 2022 – Over the past 3 days during my visit here in Damascus and to Daraa governorate, I have seen firsthand the devastating impact of war, economic instability and sanctions on innocent Syrians whose health even now continues to deteriorate.

In Daraa, once a hotspot of intense fighting and where parts of the governorate still remain in ruins, I met an elderly lady undergoing dialysis treatment who burst into tears as she spoke to me about her medical condition, and the fate that had befallen her country. Sobbing, she turned to me and asked, “What has happened to us?”

It was a hard question for me to answer.

Syrians who survived the war continue to be exposed to deadly disease outbreaks, like the current cholera outbreak across 6 governorates that has already claimed 23 lives and infected 253 people. Cases of leishmaniasis are also increasing across the country.

Today, more than 20 000 children under the age of 5 across Syria are malnourished, including 1500 children who are at risk of medical complications. No parent should have to stand by and watch their child suffer, but over the past 3 days, I met exhausted mothers whose babies were being treated for medical complications of malnutrition, including respiratory diseases and bloody diarrhoea as a result of weakened immunity.