Syriens regering forhindrer i stigende grad medicinske forsyninger i at nå frem til områder kontrolleret af oprørerne, lyder det fra nødhjælpsarbejdere i området. Regeringen frygter at forsyningerne går til oprørssoldater.
DUBAI, 7 August 2013 (IRIN): The Syrian government has increasingly restricted the delivery of medical supplies to opposition-controlled areas in recent months, several aid workers told IRIN, refusing to approve medical deliveries; taking medical supplies out of aid convoys; and requiring case-by-case negotiations for the delivery of surgical kits.
The restrictions come on top of other constraints facing medical aid deliveries, including the hijacking of aid convoys, attributed to armed opposition groups and criminal elements.
“[Deliveries] were almost at a standstill at the end of the second quarter of 2013,” Elizabeth Hoff, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Syria, told IRIN.
Whereas WHO was able to send “a substantial number” of emergency medical kits in the first three months of the year (enough to serve 914,000 people), the number of beneficiaries reached by these kits between April and June dropped to 270,500, because the UN agency could not get the necessary permissions from the government. WHO also faced similar challenges to send medicines and medical equipment, including ventilators, defibrillators, and incubators.
Aid workers say the government fears that medical supplies could be used to treat wounded rebels. Under international humanitarian law, parties to a conflict must allow the free passage of medical supplies to civilians, even if they are loyal to the enemy. However, the obligation each party has to allow access is subject to it being satisfied that the consignments will not be diverted from their destination; that control over the goods is effective; and that the enemy’s military efforts or economy will not accrue a definite advantage as a result of the aid.
“There is a restriction explicitly from the Ministry of Health that no surgical items or any items that can assist the opposition be filtered to those areas,” said Laila Baker, head of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Syria, which assists women with reproductive health issues. “We’re not sending medical aid to any armed groups. For us, a civilian is a civilian.”
In a July update to donors, WHO wrote: “The delivery of essential medicines and medical supplies to those most in need in both government- and opposition-controlled areas has been severely hampered over the past couple of months. Critical medical products, including as part of interagency convoys, have been prevented from reaching affected locations, undermining health care availability for trauma and disease control.”
While July saw a marked improvement in permissions being granted, Hoff said, delivering surgical supplies remains a challenge.
Breakdown in health services
Læs hele artiklen: http://www.irinnews.org/report/98537/analysis-syrian-government-increases-restrictions-on-medical-aid
