WMA Resolution on the Protection of Health Care in Syria

Adopted by the 67^th WMA General Assembly, Taipei, Taiwan, October 2016
and reaffirmed with minor revisions by the 218^th Council session (online), London, United Kingdom, October 2021
and revised by the 77^th WMA General Assembly, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, October 2026

After more than a decade of armed conflict and displacement, marked by repeated attacks on healthcare facilities, personnel and patients, as well as the systematic obstruction of aid, the humanitarian and health needs in Syria remain dire and far-reaching. According to the WHO in November 2025:

• Only 58 percent of hospitals and 23 percent of primary healthcare centres are fully functional,
• More than 400 health facilities have been affected by WHO funding cuts and 366 have suspended or reduced services, and
• 4 million people have reduced access to medicines and treatment.

Recalling its Declaration on the Protection and Integrity of Medical Personnel in Armed Conflicts and Other Situations of Violence and the Ethical Principles of Health Care in Times of Armed Conflict and Other Emergencies adopted by civilian and military health-care organizations in 2015, and the Declaration of Tokyo, the WMA:

1. Demands urgent action to guarantee the full respect for the ethical principles of health care in all circumstances.

2. Calls on all countries and involved parties to fully implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2286 (2016) which demands that all parties to armed conflicts fully comply with their obligations under international law, to ensure the respect and protection of all health and humanitarian personnel exclusively engaged in medical duties, their means of transport and equipment, as well as hospitals and other medical facilities; of transport and equipment, as well as hospitals and other medical facilities.

3. Calls on the Syrian authorities and all involved parties to guarantee the impartial and non-discriminatory delivery of, and access to, healthcare and humanitarian aid for all those in need, and to strive for a democratic transition that upholds international humanitarian and human rights law; ensure that patients and health and humanitarian personnel from all ethnic and religious backgrounds are protected from reprisal, interrogation, or discrimination; and guarantee safe passage, psychological support, and the safe return and reintegration for exiled health workforce.

4. Demands an immediate, impartial and independent inquiry into all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, including attacks against health care facilities and personnel, and for full transparency and accountability, with actions taken against those responsible in accordance with domestic and international law.

5. Calls for the protection of women’s rights in healthcare settings, the provision of gender-specific hygiene and medical supplies, and specialized care for survivors of previous state-sanctioned violence.

6. Demands prioritized funding for health infrastructure repair, training, and supply chains.

7. Calls for the provision of post-conflict support of the of health and humanitarian personnel, specifically psychological rehabilitation.