Support suspension limits Tel Tamer Hospital to emergency care

Zao Sing Hospital, which opened in November 2023 in Tel Tamer, is experiencing an unprecedented decline in the level of healthcare services it provides following the suspension of its operational support. The decline began after the administration of the health sector in Hasakah Governorate was transferred to the Health Directorate of the interim government, resulting in the closure of most of the hospital’s medical departments and limiting its operations to emergency cases only, according to sources at the hospital.

The hospital serves approximately 50,000 residents of the city of Tel Tamer and the surrounding villages. Before its services deteriorated, it received more than 200 patients daily across its various departments, including internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, as well as outpatient clinics and other medical services, making it one of the region’s most important healthcare facilities.

According to the sources, funding allocated to the hospital has been completely suspended in recent months, directly affecting its operational capacity. This has led to the closure of the internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology departments, while the emergency department continues to receive urgent cases and provide first aid before referring patients requiring further treatment or specialized care to other hospitals.

The hospital is also suffering from a severe shortage of medicines, medical consumables, and logistical supplies due to the failure to provide its essential needs, significantly limiting its ability to deliver treatment services and affecting the continuity of its operations.

In addition, the hospital’s medical and administrative staff are facing difficult living conditions after their salaries have gone unpaid for the past five months, according to the same sources. This has resulted in the accumulation of unpaid wages and increased pressure on doctors, nurses, and technical staff, who continue to provide services despite the hospital’s limited resources.

The deterioration in healthcare services has forced a growing number of patients to seek treatment at hospitals and medical centers outside the city of Tel Tamer, placing additional financial burdens on them and creating transportation difficulties, particularly for people with chronic illnesses, children, the elderly, and patients requiring ongoing medical follow-up.

Healthcare workers warn that if the current situation continues, the gap in medical services will widen in a region that includes dozens of villages and relies primarily on Zao Sing Hospital in Tel Tamer. They stressed that reopening the suspended departments requires the provision of medical personnel, medicines, and essential supplies, as well as the resumption of operational funding to enable the hospital to resume its role in providing healthcare services to the local population.

ANHA