Hundreds of thousands of people have been injured during the 10 years of the conflict in Syria. Many of the injured continue to suffer in their daily lives, from the inability to work, falling monthly incomes and difficulty of movement, in addition to the weakness of the medical sector and the absence of employment opportunities
This suffering has knock-on impacts for the families of the injured, with some of the children of the injured forced to leave school and go to work to meet the needs of the family. The medical bills can cost families large amounts of money, especially injuries that require significant follow-up.
The current developments in Syria leave a major burden on the injured, particularly with regard to the severe shortage of water, electricity and fuel services, which have been reflected on the functionality of services, transportation and hospitals. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is pressure on hospitals and medical centers. Furthermore, the impact of lockdown measures on employment and per capita income has increased the suffering, affecting even the basic needs of the population.
Justice for Life (JFL) has been working to document casualties resulting from the bombing, targeting of civilian sites, and remnants of war in Deir Ezzor governorate. JFL’s team conducted a survey involving 335 injured people in Deir Ezzor governorate through direct interviews or by contacting the injured or their families. During the documentation processes, a number of the injured talked about the details of their injuries and the repercussions on their families.
According to information obtained by JFL researchers in a number of key areas in Deir Ezzor, healthcare for war-wounded people is very weak, especially with regard to the availability of prostheses, physical therapy, hospital equipment and medical personnel.
Warplanes, mines and snipers were a constant menace for civilians in Deir Ezzor. There was no safe place, and it was not always easy to know where the firing came from.
“During my brother’s attempt to reach the grocery store to bring back daily items, he was shot in the head by a sniper, which caused brain damage and difficulty moving the right side of his body (right hand and foot), and he lost his memory several months after the injury,” Ahmed, who like others in this report preferred to use a pseudonym, said.
Ammar, a 38-year-old resident of Deir Ezzor and now a displaced man in the town of Al-Abasira, said: “On 2 May 2015, a warplane targeted a building in the old airport neighborhood next to the Mosque of Othman bin Affan in Deir Ezzor city. I went with several people to help rescue the injured and saw several destroyed buildings. I heard the war plane return to the same site. I hid in the entrance to a nearby building. The warplane attacked again, and I was hit by shrapnel in my hand and taken by car to the Pharmex Field Hospital while I had already fainted. Doctors amputated my hand because it was in bad condition.”
Khalil, whose foot was amputated by a mine explosion in 2019, said: “The accident changed my life and left me in a bad psychological and physical condition. I felt helpless and became more aggressive. I feel like people are looking at me with pity. I can no longer work. My family supported me, especially my eldest brother, who helped me to open a small grocery.”
Justice for Life recommends the need to expand financial and psychological support for the rehabilitation and integration of war victims, including the establishment of special centers for prosthetics and physical therapy, the formation of associations that represent the demands and needs of the injured. There is also a need to work more rapidly to remove mines and explosive weapons remnants.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been injured during the 10 years of the conflict in Syria. Many of the injured continue to suffer in their daily lives, from the inability to work, falling monthly incomes and difficulty of movement, in addition to the weakness of the medical sector and the absence of employment opportunities
This suffering has knock-on impacts for the families of the injured, with some of the children of the injured forced to leave school and go to work to meet the needs of the family. The medical bills can cost families large amounts of money, especially injuries that require significant follow-up.
The current developments in Syria leave a major burden on the injured, particularly with regard to the severe shortage of water, electricity and fuel services, which have been reflected on the functionality of services, transportation and hospitals. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is pressure on hospitals and medical centers. Furthermore, the impact of lockdown measures on employment and per capita income has increased the suffering, affecting even the basic needs of the population.
Justice for Life (JFL) has been working to document casualties resulting from the bombing, targeting of civilian sites, and remnants of war in Deir Ezzor governorate. JFL’s team conducted a survey involving 335 injured people in Deir Ezzor governorate through direct interviews or by contacting the injured or their families. During the documentation processes, a number of the injured talked about the details of their injuries and the repercussions on their families.
According to information obtained by JFL researchers in a number of key areas in Deir Ezzor, healthcare for war-wounded people is very weak, especially with regard to the availability of prostheses, physical therapy, hospital equipment and medical personnel.
Warplanes, mines and snipers were a constant menace for civilians in Deir Ezzor. There was no safe place, and it was not always easy to know where the firing came from.
“During my brother’s attempt to reach the grocery store to bring back daily items, he was shot in the head by a sniper, which caused brain damage and difficulty moving the right side of his body (right hand and foot), and he lost his memory several months after the injury,” Ahmed, who like others in this report preferred to use a pseudonym, said.
Ammar, a 38-year-old resident of Deir Ezzor and now a displaced man in the town of Al-Abasira, said: “On 2 May 2015, a warplane targeted a building in the old airport neighborhood next to the Mosque of Othman bin Affan in Deir Ezzor city. I went with several people to help rescue the injured and saw several destroyed buildings. I heard the war plane return to the same site. I hid in the entrance to a nearby building. The warplane attacked again, and I was hit by shrapnel in my hand and taken by car to the Pharmex Field Hospital while I had already fainted. Doctors amputated my hand because it was in bad condition.”
Khalil, whose foot was amputated by a mine explosion in 2019, said: “The accident changed my life and left me in a bad psychological and physical condition. I felt helpless and became more aggressive. I feel like people are looking at me with pity. I can no longer work. My family supported me, especially my eldest brother, who helped me to open a small grocery.”
Justice for Life recommends the need to expand financial and psychological support for the rehabilitation and integration of war victims, including the establishment of special centers for prosthetics and physical therapy, the formation of associations that represent the demands and needs of the injured. There is also a need to work more rapidly to remove mines and explosive weapons remnants
Read more Exorbitant Price of War
