Damascus-SANA
Health Minister Dr. Hassan Al-Ghabash affirmed that the epidemiological situation of the spread of cholera is under control thanks to the proactive measures taken by the ministry and the early government response.
During his meeting today with representatives of United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations working in the health field, Minister Al-Ghubash indicated that the national operational plan to control the cholera epidemic has been defined in three main axes: health, water, and communication to raise community awareness, in addition to activating rapid response teams in all health directorates.
The doctor explained that the ministry works with complete transparency regarding diseases and their announcement, pointing to the responsibility it bears as the reference authority in health affairs, especially matters related to the spread of diseases and epidemics, determining the epidemiological reality and announcing statistics and numbers of injuries.
Dr. Al-Ghubash stressed the importance of joint work and coordination between the concerned authorities to limit the spread of diseases, calling for coordinating roles between organizations to serve the citizens in Syria and the need to benefit from the experience of Covid 19, noting that any delay in implementing the response is similar to its absence.
Minister Al-Ghubash denounced the actions of the Turkish occupation and its terrorist organizations regarding cutting off water to citizens in Al-Hasakah and other Syrian cities for more than 50 days, considering that it is an inhumane act that leads to human disasters and contributes to the spread of disease pandemics.
In turn, the Deputy Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Activities in Syria and Head of the UNHCR Mission in Syria Sivanka Dana Bala affirmed their commitment to responding to limit the spread of the epidemic, overcoming obstacles and unifying efforts, especially since there is a shortage of water resources and that work will be done in coordination with the Ministry to speed up the delivery of supplies to Syria. Support response.
Acting representative of the World Health Organization in Syria, Dr. Iman Al-Shanqiti, pointed out the organization's readiness to increase cooperation and coordination with those in charge of the ministry, especially in the field of increasing the number of rapid smears to detect the disease.
In turn, the Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Syria, Dr. Ghada Kajaji, pointed out the importance of the ministry's procedures, indicating that since the announcement of the disease in Syria, work is being done with the ministry, health directorates and water institutions, especially on the issue of water chlorination, especially in the governorates that have recorded cases to ensure that the disease does not spread widely. .
Acting Representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Syria, Dr. Hamir Abdel-Mughni, explained the importance of raising awareness for women, as they have the greatest role in limiting the spread of disease by taking good care of children, taking care of their food and hygiene during food preparation.
Health Coordinator of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Guglielmo Zambiasi, explained the importance of the ministry's work in terms of identifying needs, pointing out that there will be a plan to coordinate with the ministry in this regard.
The meeting, in which the Assistant Minister of Health and a number of concerned central managers participated, included many discussions on ways to respond to the cholera emergency health response, which would contribute to the rapid coordination of the response and increase its effectiveness.
Rama Rashidi
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