Health in Syria

Although emphasized by the country's ruling Baath Party and improving significantly in recent years, health in Syria has been declining due to the ongoing civil war.

The war which has left 60% of the population food insecure and saw the collapse of the Syrian economy, the surging prices of basic needs, the plummeting of the Syrian pound, the destruction of many hospitals nationwide, the deterioration in the functionality of some medical equipment due to the lack of spare parts and maintenance, and shortages of drugs and medical supplies due to sanctions and corruption.

During the war, more pregnant women did not receive proper maternal care because of safety, accessibility and economic reasons.

[14] In 2016, Syria ranked 35th in the list of countries by body mass index, according to the World Health Organization data on Prevalence of Obesity, published in 2017.

Despite this, whatsoever, Smoking in Syria has been banned inside cafes (hookah bars), restaurants and other public spaces by a presidential decree which was issued on 12 October 2009 which went into effect on 21 April 2010.

The decree also outlaws smoking in schools, universities, health centers, sports halls, cinemas and theaters and on public transport.

Despite overall improvements, Syria’s health system exhibits significant regional disparities in the availability of healthcare, especially between urban and rural areas.

Almost all private health facilities are located in large urban areas such as Damascus, Aleppo, Tartus, and Latakia.

Additionally, The pooling function of the healthcare financing system is highly fragmented, and the country has not implemented national health insurance.