Switzerland donates ambulances to Syria's suffering population

Project completed
Switzerland is financing twelve new ambulances to improve the situation of people suffering from the consequences of the war in Syria. © FDFA
Switzerland is financing twelve new ambulances to improve the situation of people suffering from the consequences of the war in Syria. © SDC ©

The SDC has delivered twelve new ambulances to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC). A Swiss delegation accompanied the delivery in the Syrian capital Damascus. The ambulances are urgently needed in Syria because the country's health system has too few ambulances to cope with the enormous number of victims caused by the war, including attacks against hospitals.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Syria
Health
Humanitarian Assistance & DRR
Health systems strengthening
Primary health care
Material relief assistance
20.02.2016 - 31.12.2018
CHF  842’400

Switzerland is financing twelve new ambulances to improve the situation of people suffering from the consequences of the war. The vehicles were purchased through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Dubai and transported by sea to the Syrian port city of Latakia. From Latakia, the ambulances were transported to a SARC warehouse in Damascus.

The official delivery to the SARC took place in the warehouse on 18 July 2016 in the presence of a delegation of the SDC's Swiss Humanitarian Aid Department (HA) and the Swiss honorary consul in Aleppo. The project also aims to provide financial support to the SARC for several months in order to ensure the proper maintenance and operation of the ambulances. 
 
The ambulances are urgently needed in Syria because the country's health system has too few ambulances to cope with the enormous number of victims caused by the war, including attacks against hospitals. Seven of the vehicles will be based in SARC's Aleppo branch and five at its headquarters in Damascus. The Aleppo Governorate is one of the regions that has been most seriously affected by the conflict. There is no functioning ambulance system for the more than two million residents of Aleppo. This Swiss Humanitarian Aid project is strengthening the capacities of the health system in the districts of Aleppo that are under government, opposition and Kurdish control.