Seeking solutions for earthquakes, hunger, war, and a broken healthcare system in Syria

Abstract

Early on 6 February 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, claiming and wounding an exceeding tens of thousands of lives. Several aftershocks occurred after the initial earthquake, including a second of magnitude 7.6 on 6 February 2023, a third of magnitude 6.3, and a fourth of magnitude 5.8 on 20 February 2023. The earthquake also caused significant infrastructure and construction damage in the impacted areas, leaving many individuals homeless and vulnerable to additional catastrophe1,2. The ongoing civil war, earthquakes, food shortages, and weakened healthcare system are just a few of the numerous factors that have contributed to the complexity of the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Recently, the country has had a number of earthquakes, further complicating the already grave humanitarian situation. Since the populace of Syria are continually in the face of adversity, the situation there has resulted in a plethora of physical and mental health issues1,3. The following are some proposed solutions to Syria’s current crises as shown in Figure 1: Health system: The rehabilitation and enhancement of Syria’s healthcare system should be supported by the international community. Renovating healthcare infrastructure, offering medical supplies and equipment, and training healthcare professionals should all be reinforced. Political solution: The conflict in Syria, which is the aetiology of the humanitarian catastrophe, should be resolved on a political level, according to the international community. All pertinent parties, including the Syrian government alongside opposition, regional, and international organisations, should actively contribute to this. Emergency response: To address the immediate needs of those impacted by the earthquake and the ongoing war, an efficient emergency response is urgently warranted. This should involve financial aid comprising funding for housing, providing food and medicine, as well as repairing homes and infrastructure. Food security: By offering emergency food aid, supporting local agricultural production, and enhancing regional food distribution systems, the international community should attempt to ease Syria’s food crisis. Mental health: By supporting mental health services and therapies like counselling and psychotherapy, the international community should employ mental health services as a top priority for the Syrian population. Figure 1: Steps that can be taken to improve the conditions in Syria and to make it a suitable place for Syrian people.In conclusion, the situation in Syria is severe, and the population there are exposed to multiple adversities to their survival and well-being, including the effects of the crisis on their mental health. To address the country’s humanitarian crisis, the international community must act right away. This includes offering emergency aid, supporting local food production and distribution, and bolstering the healthcare system. We can only hope to put an end to the ‘apocalypse’ currently taking place in Syria and restore hope by working together. Ethical approval Not applicable. Sources of funding We have not received any financial support for his manuscript. Author contribution O.U.: conceptualization, project administration, and writing – review and designing; A.S.: writing and revising; A.U.P.: writing and revising; J.W.: reviewing and editing. All authors approved the final manuscript and submission. Conflicts of interest disclosure The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Research registration unique identifying number (UIN) Name of the registry: not applicable. Unique Identifying number or registration ID: not applicable. Hyperlink to your specific registration (must be publicly accessible and will be checked): not applicable. Guarantor Olivier Uwishema; Principal Investigator (PI). Data availability statement Not applicable. Provenance and peer review Not commissioned, externally peer reviewed.