Daniel Lawler

DEIR EZ-ZUR, SYRIA – JUNE 22: Majid Hamaid Arsaan, 16, receives dialysis at the dialysis centre in Abu Hamam Hospital, run by French healthcare NGO Mehad, on June 22, 2025 in Deir Ez-Zur, Syria. Medical clinics in Syria have been overwhelmed as some NGO-supported facilities have been forced to close due to cuts to foreign-aid budgets, most notably the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) earlier this year. The three dialysis centres operated by French healthcare NGO Mehad are now the only functional ones in Northeast Syria. Majid Hamaid Arsaan, 16, and his brother Omar Hamaid Arsaan 18 both suffer from hereditary kidney disease. They come for dialysis twice a week from Alhawij village, 40 km away, by a shuttle service, provided by the centre. Majid has two small kidneys and Omar has one small kidney; illness and fatigue mean they both are unable to go to school and their brother has to stay at home to look after them. Their mother Amshah Mohamed Arsaan, 50, says that the dialysis centre in the hospital is “my life” and without it they would have to move to another area. Medical staff at Abu Hamam Hospital say in the past five months they have had to turn away some prospective patients requiring dialysis, who have had to go Damascus or elsewhere. Staff said the dialysis centre is currently operating over normal capacity to meet the needs of their existing patients, as some of the machines are broken or faulty, putting further stress on working hours of staff and overusing the functioning dialysis machines. As Syria rebuilds from a 13-year civil war, the country’s health services are largely dependent on NGOs in the absence of a more robust and organised healthcare system. (Photo by Ed Ram/Getty Images)

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