Damascus faces blood banks collapse amid administrative failures

Hospitals and blood banks in Damascus are nearing the depletion of their stock of blood bags, as supplies have stopped and staff shortages worsen, putting the lives of thousands of patients at risk unless immediate action is taken.

Since the fall of the Assad regime and the transfer of authority to the transitional government, no tenders or contracts have been signed to secure blood bags for banks and hospitals. This has resulted in the complete exhaustion of strategic reserves. According to estimates from healthcare workers, the remaining stock will last only a few days.

Health institutions have been paralyzed by clear administrative dysfunction. No steps have been taken to address the shortage, despite the risks being evident for months. Former employees stress that the absence of effective management and repeated delays in decision-making directly contributed to this critical stage.

Alongside the shortage of medical supplies, the Ministry of Health under the transitional government suffers from a severe lack of staff due to the arbitrary dismissal of large numbers of employees, in addition to the imposition of mandatory leaves on others. This has negatively impacted the performance of hospitals and medical centers. Such measures have weakened the ability of health institutions to respond to crises and deprived them of the expertise needed to manage sensitive files such as blood banks.

With the remaining stock of blood bags about to run out, and no alternative plans or new tenders on the horizon, experts predict that blood banks may completely cease operations within days. This would halt emergency surgeries and put thousands of patients’ lives at risk, particularly children, cancer patients, and accident victims.

A-H

ANHA