After 13 years of war in Syria and the fall of the Assad regime, over 7.2 million people remain displaced in the country, living in camps without basic services like heating and electricity. As a result, burn injuries from unsafe heating methods are common. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) treats thousands of victims with severe burns each year at its hospital in Atmeh, northwest Syria.
Since the US implemented severe funding cuts this year, conditions have worsened, forcing the closure of many health facilities. An increase in funding support to Syria must be ensured now to allow for a comprehensive response to the humanitarian needs of millions of Syrians.
Before it went up in flames, Mohammed’s tent looked like thousands of others scattered across the rain-soaked farmland near the Turkish-Syrian border. Huddled beneath damp plastic sheets, he and his family would drink tea and warm themselves with an old wooden heater.
Like many camps in northwestern Syria, Anin Al Sahel sits in a remote, mountainous area. Basic services like heating and health care are scarce, and winters are brutal. Freezing temperatures and heavy rains turn the ground to sludge, while cold winds batter the flimsy tents housing thousands of displaced families.
On one of those winter days, Mohammed tried to light their wooden stove using diesel fuel, which is commonly used in the camps for its low cost and availability. As he poured the fuel from a plastic jerrycan onto the firewood, the container exploded.
“There was barely half a liter of diesel in the bottle when it exploded,” he says. “The flames started consuming my body, from my feet up to my hands. When my hands caught fire, I was unable to put out the flames.”
Now recovering in a hospital bed in Atmeh, Mohammed’s arms and hands are wrapped in bandages. He recalls the panic as the flames engulfed the tent in seconds, his siblings scrambling to smother the fire with blankets.
He was rushed to Al Sahil Hospital for emergency treatment, then transferred to the MSF burns hospital in Atmeh—the only specialized facility in the region.
Burned patients receive MSF care in Atmeh
Mohammed’s story is tragically common in this region of Syria, and MSF opened its burns unit in Atmeh in 2012 to treat the many displaced people injured by fires and boiling water. In recent years, it’s transformed into a surgical and rehabilitative hospital. In 2024, it received 8,340 burn-related emergencies—an average of 23 patients a day.
Like millions of other Syrians, Alia and her family fled bombardments during the civil war in Syria and settled in Al-Salata camp in Khirbet Al-Jouz. Their home was destroyed, and landmines still litter their village. Since the fall of the Assad regime in 2024, they have been unable to return.
“People in the camps need everything—even water services have been cut off since the liberation of Syria,” Alia says. “It’s been 13 years of cold, hunger, and suffering.”
Similarly to Mohammed, Alia was burned while pouring diesel into a heater. She spent two weeks at the MSF hospital undergoing surgeries and daily dressing changes. But she still lives in the same dangerous conditions that caused her injuries.
“I have three children and their father is elderly,” she explains. “I don't know how I will manage. No water, no aid—life has become very difficult in the camps.”
Millions remain displaced with major needs
An estimated 7.2 million people remain displaced in Syria after more than 13 years of war. Most people live in camps with no electricity, heating, or clean water.
To make things worse, funding cuts by the US government—enacted under the Trump administration—have severely restricted access to health care. As of the end of February 2025, 4.4 million people in nine governorates in Syria have been affected by US funding cuts that have closed more than 150 health facilities, including 19 hospitals, 97 primary health care centers, 20 mobile teams, and 15 specialized centers. Additionally, a recent assessment conducted in northwest Syria showed that foreign aid cuts have impacted 178 health facilities in Idlib and Aleppo governorates.
“There used to be health centers and hospitals,” says Mohammed. “Now, most have stopped. Even the maternity and children’s hospital closed after its support was cut.”
MSF staff members work on 3D-printed compressive masks, which are used to treat scarring and swelling, and enhances patients' movement and recovery. Syria 2025 © Abdulrahman Sadeq/MSF
With few alternatives, the MSF hospital in Atmeh remains a critical lifeline. It provides surgery, physiotherapy, mental health care, and even 3D-printed facial masks that reduce scarring and improve recovery.
“At the MSF hospital, the nurses change my bandages,” Mohammed says. “I had two surgeries—debridement [the process of removing dead skin and foreign material from a wound] and a skin graft. But I live in the countryside of Jisr al-Shughur and have to travel a long way to reach the hospital.”
Despite the political changes in Syria, people like Mohammed and Alia still can't return home. Landmines, destroyed infrastructure, and the lack of basic services keep them trapped in camps, while US government funding cuts have exacerbated an already desperate situation.
“I just want life to return to normal—and for our areas to receive services again,” says Mohammed. “We’ve suffered for 13 years.”
