The United Nations (UN) said Thursday the Syrian government has not permitted it to supply medical aid to the six besieged areas of the country. The UN termed the Syrian government's move as a violation of the international law.
People in the besieged areas are dying because they lack medical aid and its personnel have not reached those areas, according to the UN. "There is a need to obtain the government permission to dispatch the aid convoys to the six besieged areas. The issue of medical relief continues to be the single most difficult task in humanitarian access work," Adviser to UN envoy on Syria, Jan Egeland, said.
He said the need of medical aid in the Syrian regions of Darayya and Douma is immense, but the Syrian authorities have still not given the permission to the UN to go there.
The current civil war in Syria started about five years ago with the Islamic State and other opposition groups fighting the government forces led by Syrian President Bashar al-Asad.
The UN adviser further said the Munich meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), in which the UN, the Arab League, the European Union and 18 other countries participated, gave a nod to supply the medical aid to 12 out of 18 besieged areas.
"In terms of the medical services, I don't understand why we cannot go there and help the civilians. Even wounded fighters have the right to be treated according to international law. And we need the government of Syria to really help us with the medical areas," Egeland said.
The UN aims to reach out to 1.1 million people before the end of April, including the people in the besieged areas.
The World Health Organisation(WHO) reportedly said the crisis in the country has dragged about 13.5 million people needing immediate humanitarian assistance and 4.59 million people fleeing the country.
In 2015, the WHO submitted 37 requests to the Syrian authorities to deliver medical and surgical supplies in 62 areas of Syria. However, all these requests were unanswered, a WHO report claimed.
The report said the health care system in Syria has been significantly disrupted. More than half of the country's health care facilities are either closed or are only partially functioning.
