Medicine Shortage Hits Northeastern Syria Amid New Government Restrictions

The Health Authority of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria accused the Syrian Transitional Government on Wednesday of imposing strict restrictions on the entry of medicines and medical supplies into its territories, warning that the new measures have caused a severe shortage in supplies and driven up the cost of drugs and healthcare services.

In a statement carried by North Press Agency, the authority said that the closure of crossings and roads between areas under the Autonomous Administration and those controlled by the Transitional Government “has reinstated the climate of pressure that prevailed in previous years,” noting that the measures have disrupted the flow of pharmaceuticals, medical preparations, and equipment to the northeast of the country.

The statement added that residents of the region had been “hopeful for improved conditions after the fall of the former regime,” explaining that medicine shipments coming from government-held areas had previously been subjected to high levies — reaching about $450 per cubic meter — before the situation temporarily improved when some security checkpoints of the Fourth Division were removed.

However, the authority noted that the renewed closure of routes by the Transitional Government has led to the “return of medical suffocation,” aggravating shortages of essential drugs and medical supplies, which in turn has sharply increased medication and treatment costs.

The statement revealed that several critically ill patients were unable to reach hospitals in Damascus for treatment, resulting in the deaths of two of them who could not travel in time.

Concluding its statement, the Health Authority called for separating humanitarian issues from political disputes, stressing that “people’s health must not be held hostage to political tensions,” and urged the reopening of all routes and crossings to ensure the continuous flow of medical supplies and to save patients’ lives.