Infant dies due to lack of health care in Syria

EAST GHOUTA, Syria (AA) - An infant in Syria’s opposition-held Eastern Ghouta -- a suburb of Damascus -- died on Friday due to lack of health care.

Walid Awwata, doctor of the baby, said that the 45-day-old Mohanned was diagnosed with bilateral hydronephrosis.

Bilateral hydronephrosis is a condition that typically occurs when both the kidneys swells due to the failure of normal drainage of urine from them.

“Mohanned was one of the patients in Eastern Ghouta who was impossible to be cured,” Awwata said.

“When the child’s condition deteriorated, we had to intervene with the equipment available. We did the operation but unfortunately his condition got worse,” he added.

“We reported to international non-governmental organizations about the infant’s health status and that he should be moved from the East Ghouta as soon as possible. However, nobody helped. The child is dead because he could not receive treatment.”

Eastern Ghouta falls within a network of de-escalation zones -- endorsed by Turkey, Russia and Iran -- in which acts of aggression are expressly forbidden.

Nevertheless, regime forces have maintained their attacks on the district, leaving dozens of civilians dead or injured.

According to local civil defense sources, at least 160 civilians have been killed by regime forces in the area in the period from Nov. 14 to Dec. 3.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating civil war that began in early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting and more than 10 million displaced, according to the UN.