UOSSM has launched the first Electric Vehicle (EV) in northern Syria. The vehicle will be used primarily for health services including vaccine transport between cold rooms and primary healthcare facilities, and to transport patients as part of the referral system.
Over a decade of ongoing conflict has left over four million people in northern Syria without access to critical health services. Aerial bombardment has destroyed healthcare and energy infrastructure, leaving civilians and healthcare workers to rely on diesel fuel, creating a cycle of dependency, fragility, and further contributes to conflict.
To address this challenge, a humanitarian innovation by Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM) has successfully launched the EV under the new Health System Resilience program in northern Syria. The 100% solar-powered vehicle reduces dependency on fuel, while ensuring critical health services can run 24/7 in one of the most fragile settings. The expected metrics and outcomes of the pilot project will show its importance in improving and saving lives as it will be used for medical purposes and non-reliant on fuel- providing medical access in situations such as shortage of fuel in the area.
The EV is expected to result in significant savings in the long term by reducing reliance on fuel, and strengthening and localizing the health system. In remote and conflict affected areas, health systems including hospitals and ambulances rely on diesel fuel for generating electricity and running mobile ambulatory services.
