After ongoing warnings over the past months regarding the severe shortage of anesthesiologists in Syria, the University Maternity and Gynecology Hospital in the Syrian capital, Damascus, closed its doors for several days to any emergency cases due to the significant lack of anesthesiologists available. Health experts warn that the failure to accept emergency cases during these days at this vital public hospital is an indicator that the shortage of anesthesiologists has become a pressing danger threatening the lives of Syrians. This situation has drawn criticism on social media platforms within the country, targeting the government's inability to address this ongoing crisis.
The shortage of anesthesiologists reflects the worsening phenomenon of the exodus of doctors and skilled professionals from Syria, as many migrate abroad due to the availability of economic and professional incentives there, amid the deteriorating health situation in Syria, which has been exacerbated by years of crisis largely affecting the health and medical sectors.
Commenting on the seriousness of the situation, Syrian doctor Ahmad Nizar, founder of the Ahmad Humanitarian Medical Project in Damascus, stated in an interview with Sky News Arabia that "the chronic shortage of anesthesiology staff in all public and private hospitals in Syria is leading to complex problems that impede medical operations in the country, particularly in conducting necessary and emergency surgeries, especially childbirth operations, which jeopardizes the safety and lives of many patients."
Nizar added that the situation is complicated by the fact that the number of anesthesiologists across Syria is less than 500, most of whom are nearing retirement age, to the extent that there are only three anesthesiologists under the age of 30, revealing the magnitude of the health crisis.
He further noted, "The crisis is not limited to one hospital; it is a general crisis needing urgent solutions. Despite the efforts of the available anesthesiology staff to cover the significant shortage as much as they can, what is required is to address this serious gap and provide additional practitioners to this workforce."
Medical sources in Syria disclosed to local media that the University Maternity Hospital in Damascus has only two anesthesiologists available while it receives an average of more than 100 cases daily.
Moreover, Syrian Health Minister Bassam Ibrahim stated to the local newspaper Al-Watan that the issue has been managed and organized by putting a weekly program in place to have anesthesiologists from other teaching hospitals support the maternity hospital in Damascus and ensure its operations continue as necessary.
The Syrian Society of Anesthesia and Pain Management has repeatedly sounded the alarm about the dire consequences of the acute shortage of Syrian anesthesiologists and its catastrophic implications for the healthcare sector and surgical operations in the country.
