The Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (usually known by the acronym of their French name ''Union des Organisations de Secours et Soins Médicaux'', UOSSM) is a humanitarian

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

that provides healthcare in rebel-held areas of North West

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

History

UOSSM was founded by group of expatriate Syrian doctors in 2012 and later grew into an international organization. As of 2015, it had an annual budget of USD$18 million. UOSSM has offices in eight countries, including USA, Canada, and France.

Medical activities

UOSSM provide free medical care and equipment to 113 Syrian healthcare facilities. Services provided by UOSSM include

primary health care Primary health care, or PHC, refers to "essential health care" that is based on scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology. This makes universal health care accessible to all individuals and families in a community. PHC in ...

pediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...

gynecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...

and

reproductive health services Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a field of research, healthcare, and social activism that explores the health of an individual's reproductive system and sexual wellbeing during all stages of their life. The term can also be further de ...

, general and internal medicine, nutrition,

community health Community health refers to simple health services that are delivered by laymen outside hospitals and clinics. Community health is also the subset of public health that is taught to and practiced by clinicians. Community health volunteers and communi ...

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

, vaccinations, and

intensive care Intensive care medicine, also called critical care medicine, is a medical specialty that deals with seriously or critically ill patients who have, are at risk of, or are recovering from conditions that may be life-threatening. It includes pro ...

. Four UOSSM hospitals use telemedicine. Since 2016, the organization has used 480 solar panels to partly (30% to 40%) power a hospital, as well as an electric vehicle to deliver vaccines.

Advocacy

In 2020, UOSSM called for more international support for healthcare organizations in Syria, and reported on

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

cases overwhelming hospital facilities. In 2017 and 2018, the organization shared news of chemical gas attacks in Syria. In 2018, UOSSM called for the international community to provide food aid and shelter to Syrians.

Hospital attacks

In 2016, four UOSSM staff were killed in

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when airstrikes hit two ambulances. Eighty-five of their hospitals were attacked in 2020. They have blamed Russian and Syrian government forces for attacks.

Key people

* Ghanem Tayara MD, Chair, UOSSM International * Anas Al-Kassem MD, Founder, UOSSM Canada * Ziad Alissa MD, director of UOSSM France

References

External links

Official international website
{{Humanitarian aid Organizations based in Syria Government health agencies Humanitarian aid International volunteer organizations Organizations established in 2012 Humanitarian aid organizations Non-governmental organizations Syrian civil war