Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi assured on Sunday that the health sector continues to provide all services to the citizens in spite of the various challenges imposed by the ongoing crisis in the country.

He was addressing a workshop organized by Ministry of Higher Education to discuss university hospitals and the difficulties facing their work.

The participants in the workshop noted that the obstacles facing these hospitals are part of the overall challenges weighing heavily on the health sector in general due to the terrorist war still raging in the country since 2011.

Al-Halaqi cited some of these challenges, including the damage done to the pharmaceutical industry, the re-spread of some epidemics which Syria had been free of for long time, the damaged workforce and health facilities, the funding problem, further compounded by the high cost of technologies and health equipment and increase in exchange rate under the economic blockade imposed on Syria.

The Premier explained in figures that in 2010 there were 124 public hospitals and 1890 health centers at the health sector’s disposal, whereas in 2015 these figures dropped to 100 public hospitals and 1518 health centers due to terrorist attacks.

Citing the government’s priorities at this stage, al-Halaqi said work is focused on supporting the national pharmaceutical industry, improving the quality of citizens’ livelihood, promoting projects on the regional level, such as medical and therapeutic tourism during the reconstruction stage and importing the necessary health work requirements from friendly countries.

The government, he added, works on upgrading and empowering health technical and intermediate institutes, developing the ambulance system and updating the legislative and regulatory structure of the health sector, in addition to boosting coordination with the private sector and non-governmental organizations working in the health domain.

In turn, Deputy Minister of Higher Education for Health Affairs Hassan al-Jibah Ji presented a review of the situation of university hospitals and medicine graduates in the country, citing the rates of surgical operations and researches conducted by these hospitals.

There are a total of 14 university hospitals in Syria existing in Damascus, Aleppo and Lattakia. Those include about 4000 beds, 106 operating rooms and 60 intensive care rooms with 181 beds, in addition to 52 laboratories. The hospitals employ 1120 doctors and specialists and 3911 nurses.