Turkish doctors provide health services to Syrians in liberated areas

A group of volunteer doctors associated with a Turkish aid group are providing health care services and humanitarian assistance to civilians in northern Syrian towns liberated from terrorist elements.

Istanbul-based Doctors Worldwide (YDD) helped thousands of people in 2018, according to a report by the agency. It opened two clinics to provide health services to people in Syria's Azaz and Afrin, which were liberated from terrorists during Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Olive Branch in northwestern Syria. The agency conducted medical screenings for 18,872 people, the report added. As part of the humanitarian aid activities, the agency distributed food packages to 1,500 families and personal care items to 512 families.

During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the agency distributed iftar (fast-breaking) meals to 1,200 people. The agency also provided psychosocial assistance to 5,781 Syrians in Istanbul and in the southern provinces of Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa, the report added.

Between August 2016 and March 2017, Turkey and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) conducted Operation Euphrates Shield to eliminate the terrorist threat along the Turkish border.

Later, on Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to remove the PKK-linked People's Protection Units (YPG) and Daesh terrorists from northwestern Afrin, Syria, to provide national security and pave the way for Syrian refugees to return to their homes. Since then, Turkey has helped in the rebuilding of the towns' infrastructure and health and education institutions.