Geneva, Switzerland – The Kafr Zeta Specialty Hospital was completely destroyed today in a targeted airstrike. The hospital, located in the suburbs of Hama, was attacked at 10 a.m. Damascus time by four airstrikes directly hitting the facility. One hospital staff was killed and three hospital staff were wounded.
The hospital provided primary health care services to women and children, general surgery, intensive care, and orthopedic surgery, to approximately 5000 patients a month and provided services to a catchment area of 30,000-40,000 people. It was also the only hospital in the area that provided primary health care services.
Dr. Ghanem Tayara, Chairman of UOSSM International and Birmingham GP said, “In Syria, we must have broken a world record. In the past four days, we have seen four hospitals bombed, adding to the list of hundreds over the years. When did this become normal? These attacks on medical facilities have a real cost. From the medical workers who have lost their lives trying to do their jobs, to the patients; women and children who succumb to illness and easily treatable injuries because their hospital was destroyed. It has become so commonplace that the media won’t even cover it anymore, as if it were no different than a car accident. It is disgusting and we should all be ashamed.” Dr. Tayara added, “We offer our deepest condolences to the family of the staff member that was killed. UOSSM has over 2,000 staff on the ground and their safety keeps me up at night.”
UOSSM (Union des Organisations de Secours et Soins Médicaux) provides free medical aid to the people of Syria regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion or political affiliation. UOSSM international, founded by Syrian Doctors around the world, started in 2012 and operates 12 major hospitals and supports 120 clinics inside Syria. UOSSM has performed over 1,000,000 medical treatments inside Syria since inception.