Over half of Syria's hospitals are currently not functional, 141 health facilities face imminent closure due to funding shortages, and between 50 percent and 70 percent of Syrian medical workers have left Syria, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The health sector in Syria is extremely fragile, infrastructure construction has been neglected, and in addition, economic sanctions have exacerbated the deterioration of the health situation. Syria is still suffering from a shortage of medicines at present, including drugs for treating chronic diseases, which is caused by economic sanctions, said a pharmacist Batoul Mohammed. Najma said due to economic sanctions, it is very difficult to import and maintain equipment. During the war, a large number of doctors have emigrated and there is a severe shortage of highly qualified doctors and nurses in various specialties. Some doctors continue to work in Syria only out of humanitarian spirit, Najma said. Shotlist: Damascus, Syria - Recent: 1. Hospital, traffic; 2. Various of patients at hospital, medical workers working, facilities; 3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nawal Najma, chief physician, Al-Mouwasat Hospital (starting with shot 2/partially overlaid with shot 4): "The Syrian people suffered two kinds of harm during the war: direct harm caused by killing or destruction, and indirect harm caused by the inability to receive proper treatment and obtain appropriate food. In some special disease fields, such as the field of oncology, a large number of victims die due to the inability to receive treatment."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 4. Various of child receiving treatment; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 5. Various of pharmacist Batoul Mohammed working at pharmacy, medicine for sale; 6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Batoul Mohammed, pharmacist (starting with shot 5/partially overlaid with shot 7): "Syria has no raw material industry and can only rely on imports. These sanctions have affected pharmaceutical factories, preventing them from producing sufficiently effective drugs. For instance, many drugs are not available in pharmacies in Syria."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 7. Various of medicine for sale; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 8. Various of patients at hospital; 9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nawal Najma, chief physician, Al-Mouwasat Hospital (starting with shot 8/partially overlaid with shot 10): "All the sanctions and economic crises that Syria has suffered over the past 14 years have greatly affected the technological level of medical devices at all levels, especially the radiology department, laboratory and dialysis department have been greatly negatively affected."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 10. Various of medical workers working at hospital; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 11. Various of people at hospital, medical workers; 12. Various of hospital, traffic. [Restriction - No Access Chinese Mainland/Orient TV/Syria Alshaab TV/Zanoubia TV/Alhurra TV/ANN TV/Al Jazeera/ Al-Arabiya TV]