This article assesses the impact of the war in Syrian the context of the health system and neighbouring countries and the rise in non-communicable diseases. The authors advocate that urgent policy and research attention needs to be given to the generation of timely and high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of the humanitarian health response, the capacity of health systems within Syria, and the issue of non-communicable diseases among internally displaced people and refugees
The objectives of this review are to: assess the impact of conflict on the health of people in affected countries of the Region; document how conflict affects social determinants, and thus results in adverse health outcomes; present the results of an innovative qualitative study that captures civilian suffering and resilience in a conflict setting, through collaboration with civil society organizations; identify some examples of activities and interventions that may help to mitigate the impact of these conflicts on the health and well-being of affected populations; and identify policy implications. The study identifies three social determinants that have a bearing on health and are peculiar to a conflict setting: the loss of human rights, breaches of medical neutrality, and progression from stress to distress and disease that results from constant, unremitting exposure to a life-threatening situation. This review was requested by the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health