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00:00:00with a type of
00:00:01in cooperation with the Digital
00:00:30Douma National Hospital returns to work after its rehabilitation and the opening of new
00:00:34departments with modern equipment
00:00:40homes. Here, in and technology. And this morning, the conclusion of the cycling championship
00:00:43activities hosted by
00:00:46of staff, meaning Tartus Governorate.
00:00:58services. Schools are about
00:01:17from the Ministry of Health, which approved
00:01:24including drivers and nurses.
00:01:36Good morning again, viewers. We start today's episode with of struggle, nights of
00:01:40our correspondent Hussein Al-Tawil to talk about
00:01:44are some obstacles in providing some the departure of families from Al-Dana camps in Idlib countryside, returning to their villages and homes in the Al-Ghab
00:01:47plain in Hama Governorate. Good morning,
00:01:51Hussein. Hussein is with us from Idlib countryside. First,
00:01:56Omran, one of the distinguished is there a specific number
00:01:57hope in God that of families that left Al-Dana camp, returning to their homes in Hama
00:02:00countryside?
00:02:05Good morning to you and good morning to all Syrians this
00:02:09morning. Of course, yesterday,
00:02:12Al-Dana camps
00:02:15witnessed the departure of about
00:02:1898 families towards their original
00:02:21areas in the northern Hama countryside
00:02:24and he will agree to and the western Hama countryside. Of course, this scene
00:02:28so that there is no pressure on has started to repeat itself during the past period.
00:02:30We have been seeing every
00:02:33plan of the Ministry of Health, day new convoys to the northern Hama
00:02:37countryside, to the original
00:02:40homeland that its people left years
00:02:43ago under a hail of shelling
00:02:46during the period of displacement.
00:02:49Of course, during our observation
00:02:53of the returning convoys, we saw
00:02:55efforts preceded this the joy on the faces of adults before
00:02:58children. We saw astonishment among
00:03:01children who were born in displacement
00:03:04camps. Astonishment from those
00:03:08areas and what they have become due to destruction
00:03:11and then we would have a second period and ruin. And despite all these
00:03:14difficulties, we saw hope on
00:03:18the faces
00:03:20idea relieves of adults who have memories connecting them to their original
00:03:24preceded the opening of this areas. We saw hope among
00:03:27children. We talked to them,
00:03:30and they told us that they will build
00:03:35at the latest. Yes, Hussein, this is the joy of return, to
00:03:38the land and to the original home. There
00:03:42are definitely many difficulties in these areas, but let me
00:03:45ask you, Hussein, before that, is there still
00:03:49some families in the
00:03:50camp?
00:03:56Unfortunately, there are still some families in the camps, but
00:04:00it is a temporary phase. According to the
00:04:03plan, by
00:04:052026,
00:04:09However, this there will be no camps. So, we confirm that this
00:04:12period is a temporary period until
00:04:18correct form. There are many the situation is rehabilitated further to suit the needs
00:04:21of the residents and to suit
00:04:24their return to their original
00:04:26many specialized areas. Of course, registration of residents
00:04:31in all Syrian governorates, and also in wishing to return to their areas
00:04:35is currently ongoing,
00:04:37coordination for many and the concerned authorities are working to end
00:04:41this term.
00:04:48The main reliance was on Even before the opening, in one So, God willing, we will soon finish the discussion of camps completely and
00:04:51will not see them again, according to what
00:04:54they told us
00:04:57many technicians every time we interview them during the return of
00:05:00what was provided to the residents to facilitate their return to
00:05:02their homes.
00:05:09some guards, Currently, upon departure, families are provided
00:05:13food basket, which is called an emergency
00:05:16basket. It consists of logistical
00:05:19materials that help them
00:05:22to stay in
00:05:25their original homeland, such
00:05:27as sponges and household
00:05:31items, kitchen
00:05:33utensils of this kind. This
00:05:37is the basket called the emergency basket, in addition
00:05:41to providing transportation for furniture
00:05:45and air-conditioned buses for
00:05:48transporting people to their original
00:05:52the original home, work
00:05:55is being done to rehabilitate all services
00:05:59that help residents to remain
00:06:02in their areas.
00:06:05Of course, the services we mentioned include
00:06:08education to finish
00:06:12the renovation process. So, very
00:06:16soon, we will witness a complete
00:06:19return of schools that were destroyed by the former regime,
00:06:22in addition to health services, water
00:06:25services, and the rehabilitation of roads. In fact, there
00:06:28are services being worked on now
00:06:32sequentially. Despite the extent of the
00:06:35great destruction, the
00:06:37reconstruction and
00:06:41restoration of these services,
00:06:44especially basic services, to the area,
00:06:48despite, as you mentioned, the extensive
00:06:51damage and great need. We wish
00:06:54them a safe and dignified return
00:06:58and a new life.
00:07:54Good morning again, viewers. After 13
00:07:57years since Douma National Hospital was destroyed by
00:08:01the shelling of the defunct regime, it returns to work again to serve
00:08:0455,000 people. In fact, great
00:08:08inauguration, including rehabilitation and the opening of new
00:08:11departments with modern equipment and technologies.
00:08:14To talk more, we are pleased to have with us Dr. Tawfiq
00:08:18Ismail Hisbeh, Director of Health of Rural Damascus. Good morning,
00:08:22Doctor. Welcome. This is a blessed
00:08:25step and great efforts to reopen this hospital
00:08:29and serve a large number of residents.
00:08:32The inauguration has taken place, but before that, tell us about the stages that
00:08:37hospital. In fact,
00:08:40we started from scratch.
00:08:43It was a dream,
00:08:47and through multiple stages and severe
00:08:51suffering, thank God, this dream has become an achievement and a reality.
00:08:55Yesterday, between clinic
00:08:57patients, surgeries, and emergency,
00:09:00more than 500 services were provided to patients.
00:09:04500 patients. Hmm.
00:09:07The hospital is the result of a combination of several efforts, starting
00:09:10with a grant from the Japanese government.
00:09:13And implemented by the World Health Organization
00:09:16and supervised by the Ministry of Health.
00:09:21product did not reach the hospital stage until the efforts
00:09:24of the local community completed this framework
00:09:27and brought it out in its departments that were
00:09:31not taken into
00:09:35consideration and were implemented by the local community over
00:09:38a year and a half directly after the liberation. The
00:09:44important expansion was actually in the
00:09:47emergency department. There is an emergency
00:09:49department with a high degree of
00:09:53independence. This means that a patient who comes to the emergency department has all matters handled, and even if
00:09:56they need surgical intervention without entering the hospital.
00:10:00The emergency department has an emergency operating room fully
00:10:04equipped, a post-operative monitoring room, a temporary
00:10:08recovery room, and an emergency intensive care room
00:10:11if needed. Acceptance to the intensive care department, a special emergency lab
00:10:15for the emergency department, a CT scan
00:10:19also for the hospital and it is located in the
00:10:22emergency department, meaning complete independence so that there is
00:10:26no congestion in the other departments of the hospital, and this is one of the international
00:10:30standards. The other
00:10:32departments available in the hospital
00:10:36that are considered distinguished are the
00:10:39intensive care unit. Eight
00:10:42beds, one of which is equipped with a kidney dialysis machine so that
00:10:46we do not have to move the patient from the intensive care unit to the kidney
00:10:49dialysis unit. All matters are handled in the intensive care unit.
00:10:52Also, the nursery department has 13 incubators,
00:10:56equipped with all equipment, including artificial
00:10:59respiration devices for newborns and children.
00:11:03Also, there is a central laboratory
00:11:06with the latest equipment, and follow-up will be done
00:11:10to add hormonal and specialized
00:11:13analyses. This is
00:11:17a start that will be followed by
00:11:20follow-up and other additions, and the local
00:11:23community will continue to support
00:11:27and add new building blocks to this
00:11:30building to add other specialties. Yes, also
00:11:33the surgery department, the obstetrics and gynecology
00:11:37department, a special operating room for the obstetrics and gynecology department,
00:11:40and a special operating room for the surgery department. The hospital has
00:11:43three operating rooms, eight
00:11:45modern
00:11:48dialysis machines. All supplies are available
00:11:52to all patients free of charge.
00:11:56To be honest and transparent, some
00:11:58matters can be contributed
00:12:01to by the patient or even the local community in providing them.
00:12:05Yes, there
00:12:09types of medicines or even some supplies or materials for orthopedic
00:12:12surgery, and these can be covered by the Ministry of Health through
00:12:15campaigns. Yes, Doctor, regarding the geographical
00:12:18scope, what is the geographical scope that the hospital
00:12:21will cover? Now, the population of Douma
00:12:25city is around, according to the statements of the local council,
00:12:2755,000 people, but there
00:12:31are additional villages
00:12:33and towns belonging to the Douma region,
00:12:37and it can serve the entire population of Eastern Ghouta. Now, before
00:12:41Douma Hospital, there was Harasta Hospital, which carried the burden of the entire
00:12:44Eastern Ghouta. It is the only general hospital in this
00:12:48region, and it has limited capabilities, although
00:12:52all specialties are available in it, and it makes efforts. Harasta
00:12:55Hospital came to be a support.
00:12:58With the assistance between Douma Hospital and Harasta Hospital, we cover
00:13:02all residents of the eastern region, the Eastern
00:13:05Ghouta region, with an approximate population of 2.5 million people. Of course, this
00:13:09also covers neighboring
00:13:11areas. Health services do not know
00:13:14geography. This hospital receives traffic accident victims who
00:13:18may be citizens from other governorates, and this
00:13:21is the case in all governorates, especially when the hospital
00:13:25is on international roads, roads that
00:13:28connect governorates with each other. It has no relation to the geographical
00:13:31region, as much as it knows the borders. It
00:13:34has to do with the extent of the hospital's capacity and the hospital's
00:13:38ability to meet these needs. So, thank
00:13:41God, the capacity is good for
00:13:44the hospital and for the equipped departments. Let's go back to
00:13:47the idea you talked about. The hospital's
00:13:50services are completely
00:13:52100% free.
00:13:55The private section you mentioned regarding some
00:13:58financial or material coverage is donations from the local
00:14:01community, or are there departments with a symbolic fee, for example?
00:14:05No, there is no fee in the hospital, but some orthopedic
00:14:09surgeries that require certain materials are, unfortunately, in
00:14:11all hospitals, the patient bears
00:14:14the cost, even though I mentioned that through the campaigns
00:14:18carried out by the Ministry of Health, some of these
00:14:21materials are provided and meet the needs
00:14:25of citizens through certain links that are announced for each
00:14:29campaign. Yes, Doctor, you mentioned that, thank
00:14:32God, all types of specialties
00:14:35are available for care. So, regarding the medical
00:14:39staff, are all specialties available, or is there still a shortage?
00:14:42In fact, over approximately one year,
00:14:46thanks to God and the steps taken by the Ministry of Health,
00:14:51doctors have been provided in various
00:14:55specialties, such as cardiology,
00:14:57emergency, neurology, and
00:15:00gastroenterology. Also, the hospital is distinguished
00:15:04by an advanced gastrointestinal endoscopy unit.
00:15:09of the campaigns, 25
00:15:12diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopies were performed
00:15:15before the hospital was opened.
00:15:19Also, through the Ministry of Health,
00:15:22and nurses were contracted,
00:15:26especially those who were dismissed for reasons related to the revolution.
00:15:29They have been reinstated to work,
00:15:34a limited number of administrators, meaning the entire staff currently available.
00:15:38The hospital has 255 staff members, but
00:15:42to be honest, if the hospital wants to operate at its full capacity and all departments
00:15:45are activated, according to international norms, the hospital has
00:15:49around 82 beds specifically.
00:15:52The emergency department alone has 19
00:15:56beds. This means that according to these standards, this hospital needs
00:15:59700 staff members. Currently, there are 255.
00:16:02This means there is a difference, but now
00:16:05the hospital is at the beginning of its launch, although the indicators show that we
00:16:09need to complete the rest of the staff as soon as possible because
00:16:12of the shortage of staff in the hospital. Now, it is the
00:16:16circumstances that the region went through, the
00:16:19migration that took place for the staff, the shortage
00:16:24many of the staff
00:16:27are available, but the recovery
00:16:30wheel has started. The steps that
00:16:33the Ministry of Health has taken in cooperation with
00:16:37the Ministry of Finance, and these are government directives, the issue of qualitative
00:16:40increase for staff, the issue of raising salaries,
00:16:43this will certainly lead to attracting
00:16:47many staff to work in government
00:16:50hospitals, and this is what we hope from God Almighty. Also, through the proposal
00:16:54I presented, I would like to make a call, let's call it
00:16:57a call for return. There are specialties that are
00:17:01indispensable, and frankly and transparently, let's talk about the
00:17:05reality. This hospital, in order to be 100%
00:17:08activated in terms of surgical operations, and for me to be able to perform surgical operations around the clock
00:17:11and on a daily basis, the only anesthesiologist
00:17:15available is one. Can he cover three operating
00:17:19rooms around the clock? This is impossible. It is impossible.
00:17:23Yes, it is not almost impossible, but impossible. Impossible.
00:17:25The need for specialized
00:17:29specialties that we need will be
00:17:31announced, and we
00:17:34our hopes will not be disappointed. God willing,
00:17:37there will be demand. The day before yesterday,
00:17:41I was in contact with an anesthesiologist, and he promised that
00:17:44he would follow up on the contracting procedures.
00:17:47There is an anesthesiologist from Douma
00:17:50city. Certainly, the Ministry of Health opens its doors
00:17:53to everyone. He will be
00:17:55retired, he will return to work on what is called
00:17:59salary difference,
00:18:02return on this basis. Also, the Ministry
00:18:05of Health has opened the doors for volunteering. We have an
00:18:09anesthesiologist who works voluntarily in Harasta
00:18:11Hospital, and this procedure means he anesthetizes
00:18:15a patient. There is medical responsibility, legal responsibility,
00:18:17Doctor. Generally, anesthesiologists are few in Syria,
00:18:21meaning the numbers are very small. So, are there future plans
00:18:24to increase their numbers? Are there encouraging things, for example, and most
00:18:28anesthesiologists are also outside the country? Now they have been distinguished even
00:18:31by a qualitative increase, meaning they received more than others
00:18:35to attract them to hospitals. And as I told you,
00:18:39we currently have three anesthesiologists
00:18:42in the contracting process for the Rural Damascus Health Directorate.
00:18:45Of course, anesthesiologists cover more than one hospital.
00:18:48So far, we have hospitals that do not have
00:18:52an anesthesiologist, but according to the directives of
00:18:56the Ministry of Health, there is cooperation between the Damascus
00:18:59and Rural Damascus Health Directorates to provide rural Damascus
00:19:02hospitals with doctors from Damascus hospitals
00:19:06to patients and for consultation. So today,
00:19:10the priority in the hospital is the staff, the
00:19:13specialized staff
00:19:15that the hospital needs. Okay, back to the
00:19:19hospital. You mentioned that there
00:19:22are modern devices and perhaps modern technologies
00:19:26that have been introduced. Is there anything that the hospital specializes
00:19:29in, meaning this device might not be found in another hospital? Are
00:19:32there special devices in the hospital that were
00:19:35not previously available?
00:19:38Generally, yes, certainly, many devices have been added because medical equipment
00:19:42is developing day by day.
00:19:45However, it is generally, not only in
00:19:48rural Damascus, but in all governorates, the Ministry of Health is heading towards
00:19:52this specific point. The difficult legacy of dilapidated
00:19:55and old equipment. Now, I tell you, I have
00:19:58a CT scan in Al-Zabadani Hospital, and it is a basic
00:20:00hospital, meaning there is no other
00:20:04CT scan in the entire region. Their CT scan
00:20:08is 15 years old. Even the company that needs
00:20:12to maintain it says it needs
00:20:14devices, and the Ministry of Health is working to replace
00:20:18them. In our country, a very
00:20:22device was installed by the local community in Al-Nabk Hospital.
00:20:25In Yabroud Hospital, a device was also installed. This is
00:20:28a plan for the Ministry of Health, so much so that it emphasized
00:20:31not accepting any used equipment.
00:20:35The equipment currently available in Douma Hospital
00:20:38is considered modern and very modern.
00:20:41Now, among the steps that will be activated
00:20:45is the issue of automation, and this is a primary goal or
00:20:48strategic plan for the Ministry of Health
00:20:51Transformation Directorate. We started this issue since the beginning, meaning
00:20:55it's a new hospital, I won't go back years and automate
00:20:58information. So from the beginning, God willing, there is a plan
00:21:01for this hospital to be a fully automated
00:21:05digital hospital. God willing, Doctor, let's clarify
00:21:08more, meaning this hospital will receive emergency
00:21:11cases more, or will it specialize in surgical
00:21:14operations? No, its emergency department is open around the clock.
00:21:18The emergency department is open around the clock, but regarding surgical operations,
00:21:22it will be qualified for this, and ambulances are available.
00:21:25Of course, in the Rural Damascus Health Directorate,
00:21:29there is what is called the referral, ambulance, and emergency system,
00:21:32which has a geographical distribution throughout the governorate. We have
00:21:3545 ambulances that are continuously updated
00:21:38and reinforced with additional vehicles by the Ministry of Health.
00:21:41It operates with a referral
00:21:44and response system to the emergency call 110.
00:21:48Of course, in every hospital in rural
00:21:50areas, there is an ambulance. Some hospitals have two ambulances.
00:21:54We hope that all our hospitals are equipped with a sufficient number of
00:21:58ambulances. Also, on the occasion
00:22:01of securing human resources, since the
00:22:04beginning of the year, there was a directive
00:22:07the contracting of more than 120 staff
00:22:11members for the ambulance system,
00:22:14This led to an increase in the deployment
00:22:17of ambulances throughout the governorate. There were
00:22:21blind spots, areas not covered, by providing
00:22:24this staff and providing ambulances. It has become
00:22:28covered, even if the coverage is not
00:22:31real. The presence of a referral room or
00:22:34a response room that monitors the deployment of ambulances
00:22:38and monitors the response to emergency calls and monitors
00:22:41the transfer of patients between hospitals, meaning a patient
00:22:45might be seen at a hospital, but this service is not available
00:22:48in that hospital. So, through the emergency and referral room,
00:22:52they are transferred to the hospital that has the service
00:22:54available, and with coordination, meaning the patient does
00:22:58not go and ask and find out. Through this room,
00:23:01they are transferred by ambulance to the target hospital that has the required service.
00:23:05Okay, regarding the appointment system or the
00:23:08system for specialized clinics
00:23:12or even for operations, how is communication done?
00:23:14How are appointments registered
00:23:18the hospital? In fact, within the digital transformation
00:23:23this issue is taken into account and is being studied. But currently,
00:23:27in fact, and this is what we observed yesterday on the first
00:23:30day of the inauguration, we only have four clinics
00:23:34due to the small size of the department. It will be expanded, God willing,
00:23:37as I mentioned, the local community will follow up on
00:23:40the expansion and the addition of clinics.
00:23:43cover everything: internal medicine, neurology, pediatrics, general
00:23:47surgery, orthopedic surgery, but all through four
00:23:50clinics. So yesterday, the idea came up to have the clinics continuous,
00:23:54meaning these four clinics could receive four specialties in one hour,
00:23:58from 8:30 to 1:00,
00:24:01from 1:30, for example, to rearrange the clinics
00:24:05and receive patients from 1:30 to 6:30. This
00:24:10pressure on the emergency department or organizes it. Now, many
00:24:14patients, unfortunately, resort to the emergency department, why? Because there is no clinic
00:24:18and the clinic system currently used by the Ministry of Health. The clinic might stay open until
00:24:212:30 or 3:00
00:24:25This is not enough, because after that, a patient might come, meaning now many patients might
00:24:28come to the emergency department, but they are managed by the clinic. So, to relieve
00:24:32pressure on the emergency department, both shifts
00:24:36must be activated in the clinics, and this is what
00:24:40will be done, God willing. God willing, Doctor, the ambition is great,
00:24:43and the plans that have been made are many. This citizen
00:24:46deserves it, meaning he has suffered and
00:24:50been deprived of health services, and I consider this hospital
00:24:53to be a gateway to recovery. The Ministry
00:24:56of Health, as I said, launched the slogan "Human First," meaning that this
00:24:59human deserves
00:25:01it. Rural Damascus Governorate launched more
00:25:05than one campaign: "Rural Damascus at your service," "Our countryside
00:25:09deserves." Through these initiatives, a
00:25:13roadmap for recovery is being drawn, and its signs
00:25:16are appearing day by day at all service levels. God willing, the efforts are clear, and we see them
00:25:21the regions. So, in the near future,
00:25:25will there be development of clinics, as you mentioned, or will
00:25:28new departments be rehabilitated and added? God willing,
00:25:32work will be done on a building for resident
00:25:36doctors. They have the right, even the
00:25:38resident doctor, to be able to give.
00:25:42We need to provide the means
00:25:45that make him work with higher efficiency,
00:25:49including building accommodation. A plan to build
00:25:52warehouses, because I cannot occupy rooms
00:25:55for patients and put warehouse
00:25:59materials in them. There will be a special building block for
00:26:02warehouses. Also, among the works that will be done and have been
00:26:05approved is a directive from the Ministry of Health to have
00:26:09a nursing class in Douma Hospital, Al-Tel Hospital,
00:26:13and Atnah Hospital to attract staff
00:26:16and fill the shortage we face in nursing
00:26:20staff. God willing, these challenges, which we might
00:26:24call them now, will be overcome, and these
00:26:26staff will be provided urgently to the hospital,
00:26:30and there will indeed be attention
00:26:43to the issue of organizing patients to reduce pressure on you and also to reduce pressure on citizens. I want to thank you very much, Dr. Tawfiq Ismail Hisbeh, Director of Health of Rural Damascus. Thank you very much for lighting up this morning. Welcome.