Cologne: An aerial bomb attack in Syria on Wednesday severely damaged the Malteser International-supported pediatric hospital in Aleppo – forcing it to cease operations and stop accepting new patients. “An explosion directly outside the facility caused severe material damage to an entire floor of the building, but thankfully no casualties were reported in the hospital itself,” said Janine Lietmeyer, Malteser International’s Middle East Manager. Hospital staff regularly carry babies being treated at the hospital to the building’s cellar in their incubators during air attacks.
Malteser International has been supporting the pediatric hospital since July 2015 – paying the salaries of staff members, and financing the purchase of equipment including ventilators and incubators.
Malteser International also provides medical care for around 300,000 people living near the Syrian-Turkish border at four basic health units, operated by its partner organization. More than half of these are internally displaced people living in camps. The security situation in this border region is also worsening continually.
For editors: Janine Lietmeyer, Malteser International’s Middle East Manager is available for interviews.
Contact: Tel.: +49 (0)221 9822 169, elena.stein(at)malteser-international.org
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