MSF denies shutting down health centers in Syria

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières - MSF) issued a clarification statement asserting that recent media reports claiming the closure of 150 health facilities in Syria due to a lack of U.S. funding do not pertain to the organization. MSF emphasized that it has not closed any of its projects in the country.

11 May, 2025 23:07

NEWS DESK

The clarification followed the publication of an article by the organization focusing on the suffering of burn victims in camps in northwest Syria. Some media outlets had suggested that MSF was responsible for the closure of those facilities.

MSF clarified that the facilities in question are not affiliated with the organization, and that it does not receive funding from the U.S. government. This aligns with MSF’s long-standing commitment to independence and neutrality in delivering medical and humanitarian aid.

The organization added that its recent article was meant to provide a general overview of the declining availability of healthcare services as observed by its field teams, and the impact this decline has on the population. The statistics cited in the article refer to health facilities run by other organizations that previously relied on U.S. support.

In this context, MSF referred to the Syria Humanitarian Response Plan led by the United Nations, which reported that cuts in U.S. funding led to the closure of over 150 health facilities, including 19 hospitals, 97 primary healthcare centers, and 20 mobile medical teams.

MSF continues to provide healthcare in several regions of Syria, including Damascus and its countryside, Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Raqqa, Hasaka, and Deir ez-Zor, reaffirming its commitment to humanitarian work in the country despite growing challenges.

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ANHA