EU and Syrian officials met in Brussels last week to discuss reconstruction, and the EU announced targeted health support including €14 million to rehabilitate Ar‑Rastan Hospital in Homs. Relief International’s recent report, cited in the meeting, documents a collapsed health system that leaves many returnees without care: 78% of returnees in Deir Az Zor said healthcare was unavailable, and 41% of households in al‑Tebni reported at least one family member unable to access emergency care in the past six months. Clinics face staff and supply shortages, long waits, rising malnutrition among children, interruptions in chronic disease treatment, and gaps in maternal and obstetric services; many people have stopped seeking care because it is unreliable or unaffordable.

What needs to change

The report calls for large‑scale, coordinated international action focused on rebuilding primary healthcare, integrating mental health and psychosocial support, and expanding rehabilitation services for the high number of people living with disabilities (estimated at 28% of Syrians). Relief International highlights acute mental‑health needs—86% of women surveyed reported anxiety or distress—and urges sustained, multiyear investments, technical assistance, and continued support for refugees in host countries. Last week’s Brussels meeting is described as an important step, but donors and governments must match the scale of Syria’s needs to restore equitable access to health services and enable sustainable returns, as reported by Al Jazeera