ISTANBUL: Some 55 tonnes of EU-funded medical supplies entered northwestern Syria from Turkiye on Thursday, a UN health official said.
Part of an EU air bridge to Syria, the supplies crossed Turkiye鈥檚 southern Cilvegozu border post and were taken to a warehouse in the northwestern city of Idlib, Mrinalini Santhanam of the World Health Organization said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 one more air bridge, and it is planned for February,鈥� she said, adding that it was 鈥渟till in the planning stages鈥� with talks 鈥渢o determine the volume and the scale.鈥�
The supplies, distributed to Idlib and the Aleppo region health care centers, are part of an EU humanitarian bridge announced by Brussels on Dec. 13.
The aim is to support Syria鈥檚 battered healthcare system following the ouster of Bashar Assad on Dec. 8.
Included in the shipment were 8,000 emergency surgical kits, anesthetic supplies, IV fluids, sterilization materials, and medications to prevent disease outbreaks, the WHO said.
The civil war, which broke out in 2011, devastated Syria鈥檚 health care system, with 鈥渁lmost half of the hospitals (there) not functional,鈥� WHO planning analyst Lorenzo Dal Monte said in late December.
He said the 50-tonne shipment from Dubai included 鈥渕ainly trauma and surgical kits.鈥�
Another five tonnes of supplies were brought in from another stockpile in Demark, including emergency health kits as well as winter clothing and water purification tablets, the WHO said.