Areej, a 50-year-old multiple sclerosis patient in Latakia (western Syria), has spent five months searching for her regular medication after she was unable to obtain it from a government hospital, where she had previously received it free of charge on a regular basis.
She told Enab Baladi that she is currently experiencing a neurological relapse that has worsened her condition, causing difficulty with movement and balance. She said she cannot secure the medication because of difficult living conditions and the high cost of some treatment alternatives.
Areej is one of more than 8,000 multiple sclerosis patients in Syria who need continuous treatment to keep their condition stable and prevent deterioration, according to 2024 data from the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation.
From Free Treatment to Costly Alternatives
Pharmacist Walaa Abu al-Arous told Enab Baladi that treatment costs vary depending on the type of medicine. The primary medications for multiple sclerosis, immunotherapies used to stabilize the disease, are expensive worldwide and were previously provided through government hospitals.
She added that with these medications difficult to obtain, patients turn to alternatives available in pharmacies, most notably cortisone injections such as Diprofos, which are used only during relapses. The price of a single injection ranges from about $10 to $50, depending on the type and country of origin.
The pharmacist noted that some patients do not respond adequately to cortisone treatment, limiting its effectiveness as a temporary option and increasing the need for the main immunotherapy medications.
According to the pharmacist, a patient may need several injections during a single relapse, raising the total cost and making treatment a heavy burden, especially under current living conditions.
Treatment Is Necessary to Limit Deterioration
Dr. Yara Baladiya, a neurologist, said multiple sclerosis is a chronic, progressive immune disease that affects the central nervous system and depends mainly on treatment to control its course.
She told Enab Baladi that the disease develops in the form of repeated relapses, during which the immune system attacks the nerves and disrupts the transmission of nerve signals between the brain and the rest of the body.
These relapses vary from one patient to another. They may appear as weakness in movement and balance, difficulty walking, blurred vision, numbness in the limbs, and severe fatigue.
The doctor warned that repeated relapses without proper treatment accelerate the cumulative deterioration of the condition. She stressed that treatment does not aim for a final cure, but rather to reduce the number of relapses and slow the progression of the disease, preserving neurological functions for as long as possible. Treatment interruption, she said, increases disease activity and accelerates disability.
Health Ministry: Medicines Secured Under Supply Plans
For his part, Dr. Bakour al-Bakour, director of supply at the Ministry of Health, told Enab Baladi that the ministry “secured most of the essential medicines for multiple sclerosis patients and distributed them to health directorates based on needs plans.”
Al-Bakour said the ministry received, over the past months, a quantity covering three months of 2026 needs, and is awaiting a new batch from a tender currently being prepared to complete coverage of the full annual needs.
He said delays in the availability of some items in hospitals and centers are due to technical and logistical factors related to:
According to al-Bakour, the relevant authorities are making efforts to avoid any future interruption by adopting a policy of preparing procurement requests well before stocks run out. Work is also underway to build an electronic system to accurately track supplies and consumption reports.
The Ministry of Health is solely responsible for securing and covering specialized medicines for hospitals affiliated with it, according to al-Bakour, while other ministries are responsible for securing and covering medicines for hospitals under their authority, in line with the approved specializations and administrative bodies.
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