UN calls for facilitation of medical evacuations in Syria

The United Nations on Monday called on all parties to the Syria conflict to facilitate medical evacuation of the sick and wounded following the tragic death of several Syrians in besieged towns.

"The reported tragic death of a young Syrian man in the besieged town of Madaya is yet another sad event where medical evacuations have not been available for those in need," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"His death comes less than a week after three children in Bukkin in northern Madaya died after being injured by a landmine, as evacuations were not facilitated," Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"The UN called on all parties to the conflict to facilitate medical evacuation of the sick and wounded in a timely and systematic manner everywhere in Syria," he said.

"Similarly, the UN called on all parties, particularly the Syrian authorities, to allow for all necessary medical items and equipment, including surgical items, to be allowed onto the convoys," the spokesman added.

In January, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) confirmed that cases of severe malnutrition have been found among children in Madaya, north of the capital Damascus.

A fresh aid convoy entered Madaya on Jan.14 as the second batch of aid supplies delivered to the hunger-battered and rebel-held area.

The recent aid deliveries came after the Syrian government agreed to loosen its siege on Madaya, and the rebels in control of the northwestern province of Idlib agreed to allow aid into Kafraya and Foah.

Warring parties in Syria have resorted to sieges to diminish one another's strength. The tactic successfully forced rebels out of several areas and drove the government into negotiations in other areas, but countless civilians fell victim to the dire consequences of the sieges. Enditem