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Syria HEALTH
Because of the increasing use of vaccinations and various
preventive measures, health conditions in Syria generally
improved in the 1980s. Malaria, and to a lesser extent
tuberculosis, declined, but gastrointestinal and parasitic
diseases were endemic, particularly among the rural population.
Diphtheria and tetanus also plagued rural communities, and there
was a high rate of infectious diseases, heart disease, and cancer
in urban areas.
Syria's Ministry of Health had a budget of approximately LS
187 million in 1985. As a socialist government, Syria provided
virtually free medical care to its citizens and imposed a ceiling
on charges by private hospitals.
In 1984 there were 41 state-run hospitals and 139 private
hospitals in Syria. The state hospitals averaged 200 beds each,
while the private hospitals averaged only 20 beds each. As of
1980, Syria had established state hospitals in every province
except Al Qunaytirah; however, these public facilities were
concentrated on Damascus, which had 15 public hospitals with a
total of 3,801 beds, and Aleppo, which had eight state hospitals
with a total of 1,870 beds. Private hospitals were likewise
concentrated in Damascus and Aleppo. Syria also had established
503 public health clinics throughout the country.
Syria's public health program was augmented by programs
administered by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry
of Education. The Ministry of Social Affairs provided
vaccinations, medicine, and maternity care at rural community
development centers throughout the nation. The Ministry of
Education administered a preventive medicine and dentistry
program for schoolchildren. In 1981, this program operated with a
staff of 62 physicians, 22 dentists, and 110 nurses in 160
schools, and Syria was implementing plans to double the size of
this program.
Syria had 5,543 physicians in 1985, one for every 1,792
people. There were 2,045 dentists, one for every 4,858 people.
Syria had 7,923 nurses and 2,071 midwives. In 1984, 948 medical
doctors graduated from Syrian universities.
Syria's socialist government provided extensive welfare
services to citizens. Most welfare programs were administered by
the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, which in 1985 had a
budget of LS 265 million. This ministry controlled labor unions,
set minimum wages, was in charge of occupational safety, paid
social security premiums, and operated orphanages, institutions
for the handicapped, and rural community development centers.
Many citizens had access to subsidized public housing.
* * *
The scholarly literature on religion in the Middle East is
vast, expanding, and subject to constant revision and analysis.
For a comprehensive and challenging history of the founding of
Islam and its subsequent development and meaning, Marshall G.S.
Hodgson's three-volume The Venture of Islam is highly
recommended. Islam and the Arab World, edited by Bernard
Lewis, is a well regarded collection of monographs by numerous
specialists in the field, as are The Cambridge History of
Islam, edited by P.M. Holt, Ann K.S. Lambton, and Bernard
Lewis, and Religion in the Middle East: Three Religions in
Concord and Conflict, edited by A.J. Arberry.
In contrast, literature on Syrian social systems written by
trained social scientists remained scanty in 1987. Because of the
vital importance of sectarian differences and disputes within the
society, such studies as Robert M. Haddad's Syrian Christians
in Muslim Society: An Interpretation, which contains valuable
insights into religious life in both communities, are among the
more useful sources for further reading. The articles by A.R.
George, Donald M. Reid, and Gordon Roberts present material on
some of the minority communities, and Frederick Jones Bliss'
The Religions of Modern Syria and Palestine contains
observations on contemporary society. (For further information
see
Bibliography).
Data as of April 1987
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