Doctors Worldwide Turkey providing medical aid to people in Tal Abyad, Syria

A Turkish NGO said on Wednesday it continues to provide medical assistance to needy Syrians in Tal Abyad district since it got rid of terror elements following Turkey’s counter-terrorism operations.

The Doctors Worldwide Turkey (Yeryuzu Doktorlari) said its health facility in Tal Abyad offers a variety of services including pediatrics, gynecology, dental health, dermatology and emergency, and tens of thousands of people have benefited from the services so far.

As many as eight doctors, five nurses, a pharmacist, a field coordinator, 10 administrative staff and 25 local personnel help the facility to operate, it said.

Furkan Terzi, the non-profit's Syria project coordinator, said they are doing their best to meet the health needs of people in Tal Abyad.

He said it is important to improve the infrastructure of the facility, which was damaged by clashes, provide jobs for locals and re-establish the economic order in the region.

Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.

According to the UN human rights chief, more than 350,000 people have been killed in the over 10 years of conflict in Syria, but the tally is “certainly an undercount."

Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

According to the UN Refugee Agency, some 6.6 million Syrians have been forced to leave the country over the past decade.

Turkey alone hosts approximately 3.7 million of these people – more than any other country in the world.