Al-Ghabbash: Sanctions imposed on Syria hamper the health sector’s efforts to secure medical equipment

Minister of Health, Dr. Hassan al-Ghabbash, stressed that the unilateral coercive measures imposed on the Syrian people, most recently the inclusion of a number of Syrian hospitals that provide services free of charge to Syrian citizens on the sanctions list, hinder the arrival of necessary medical equipment and their spare parts to those hospitals.

In the speech of the Syrian Arab Republic addressing the 152nd session of the World Health O’rganization’s Executive Board in Geneva, the Minister of Health requested the Board’s support for the lifting of sanctions and the development of quality and integrated health strategies to face the difficulties and challenges of all health issues.

He stressed the need for immediate intervention to halt the criminal practices of the Zionist entity against the people in occupied Palestine and the occupied Syrian Golan.

Minister Al-Ghabbash noted that the world, today more than ever, needs to strengthen health systems and their capacities to ensure universal health coverage and continue to work towards the 2030 sustainable development agenda, which is a real long-term test of countries’ capabilities for collective solidarity, so that all countries participate in attaining development, fighting poverty and hunger and achieving prosperity for all peoples of the world without exception.

The Council’s agenda included the election of the WHO’s Regional Director of the Americas. Dr. Jarbas Barbosa of Brazil got the position by 31 votes in favor, out of 34.

The work of the WHO Executive Board continues until February 7th.

The Executive Board consists of 34 members and meets at least twice a year to enforce the Health Assembly’s decision.

Amal Farhat