Last week, European Union and Syrian officials met in Brussels for high-level talks on the country’s reconstruction. The EU’s support for Syria’s health system, including 14 million euros ($16.25m) to rehabilitate Ar-Rastan Hospital in Homs, is a significant contribution that merits recognition.While the EU is demonstrating what strategic investment can achieve, the gap between the conditions returnees face and what they need for a healthy life remains a major barrier for the country’s recovery. After 14 years of conflict, Syria is facing a public health crisis that no government can address on its own.The restoration of health services will instead require large-scale, coordinated action from across the international community.A recent report authored by my organisation, Relief International, details the crisis at hand: many of the 3.7 million Syrians who have returned home are encountering a health system left fractured and struggling after years of devastation. According to our findings, 78 percent of returnees in Deir Az Zor reported that healthcare was unavailable. In al-Tebni district, 41 percent of surveyed households said at least one family member had been unable to access emergency care in the previous six months. From shortages of staff and equipment to long wait times, communities are facing obstacles to care with life-or-death consequences.Across the 50 healthcare …
