The high costs of treatment in Qamishli hospitals: a reality that burdens the people

The health sector in North-East Syria is witnessing great challenges, as the rise in private hospital fees coincided with a decline in the quality of medical services provided. This situation has become a heavy burden on the people of the city of Qamishli, who find themselves unable to obtain the necessary health care.

Muhammad Shaheen (a pseudonym), a resident of Qamishli, went to a private hospital to treat his mother, who suffers from kidney disease, in search of appropriate medical care. However, he was surprised that his mother was left in the intensive care unit without adequate supervision from nurses, which led to severe intravenous bleeding due to negligence.

On the other hand, Zarka Qasim went to a private hospital to find out the cause of the constant headaches she suffers from. After a wrong diagnosis and fruitless surgery, it later emerged in Damascus hospitals that the doctor in Qamishli had treated the wrong vein, which increased her pain and suffering.

Similar stories are told by other families, such as Najah, who suffered severe bleeding during surgery on her nose, and Fahad, who underwent a heart stent operation, but was forced to travel to Damascus after his condition worsened as a result of an error in the operation.

Director of Tishi Private Hospital, Firas Tishi, indicated that the high costs of treatment are due to the import of medical equipment in US dollars, while costs are calculated in Syrian pounds. He explained that a large portion of these costs are due to doctors’ wages, which necessitates reducing them to relieve families.

In turn, Dr. Khaled Daoud, co-chair of the Health Authority in Al-Jazira region, confirmed that the health sector suffers from the absence of specific pricing for treatment in private hospitals, pointing to the authority’s efforts to set uniform prices in all regions of North-East Syria with the aim of reducing pressure on the people.

These testimonies and facts reflect the extent of the challenges facing the health sector in Qamishli, and highlight the urgent need to improve the quality of medical services and control treatment costs to ensure that all residents have access to appropriate health care.