[The following statement was issued by Medicins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders) on 29 April 2016.]
Syria: Update on Airstrikes at Al Quds Hospital
The situation in Aleppo is critical as airstrikes leave no part of the city untouched. Already today there are reports of another health centre (not MSF-supported) being struck. MSF is desperately worried about the estimated 250,000 people in increasing danger of being totally cut off and without medical care.
The sky is falling in Aleppo,” said Muskilda Zancada, MSF head of mission in Syria. “The city, consistently at the frontlines of this brutal war, is now in danger of coming under a full offensive. No corner is being spared. Attacks on hospitals and medical staff are a devastating indicator of how the war in Syria is waged, one of numerous brutal ways in which civilians are targeted.
The attack on Al Quds hospital has destroyed one of the last remaining places in Aleppo in which you could still find humanity. Aleppo is already a shell of what it once was; this most recent assault appears determined to eliminate even that.
This is not the first time that Al Quds hospital has been hit by bombs – it has been damaged and partially destroyed a number of times, most recently in 2015.
One of numerous hospitals that MSF supports in Aleppo and across Syria, MSF began supporting Al Quds hospital in 2012 and has provided regular medical donations to the hospital since 2014.
“It has been an incredible honour for us to be able to work so closely with such dedicated people,” said Muskilda. “We see day in and day out how they risk their lives through this living hell of a war to ensure people can access medical care. Their loss is our loss, and we remain committed to helping the hospital restart activities.”
MSF wishes to pay tribute to the heroic work of Syrian doctors across the country who continue to work to treat their communities under unimaginable conditions. Following the attack, the hospital has requested support for medical equipment and drugs. MSF is committed to assisting with these urgent needs and supporting the hospital’s reconstruction.