Richard Sullivan about assessing Syria’s health crisis and the future of cancer care
Richard Sullivan, Director, Institute for Cancer Policy & Co-Director Centre for Conflict & Health Research at King’s College London, shared on LinkedIn:
“Over the last five years, the Research for Health Systems Strengthening in Syria program has conducted significant research into the health ecosystem of this bloody and complex conflict. In December 2024, after more than 50 years in power in Syria, the regime of the Assad family was finally swept away. This dramatic political shift illuminated the state of healthcare in Syria, exposing widespread health system fractures.
The move from humanitarian assistance to development-oriented long-term planning comes at a time when massive US-driven cutbacks are occurring to global health and development. Healthcare has been severely degraded by years of intentional targeting. Public health was weaponized with the destruction of water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure, particularly in Idlib and Aleppo. The Feb 2023 Syrian-Turkish earthquake also created a new complex nexus for both acute infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance.
Part of the problem now for planners is the paucity of intelligence around health challenges within Syria. Non-communicable diseases like cancer have extensive intelligence gaps. Syria’s shattered cancer care will need particular attention if patients now being treated in host countries can return home for treatment.”
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