Health Sector a New Victim of ISIS Economy in Tell Abiad

Abdalaziz Alhamza – Exclusive – Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently

ISIS group ceased the work of all dispensaries in Tell Abiad northern city of Raqqa governorate, and confiscated all medical tools such as ultrasound and radiography devices and medicines, in each of “electricity street and old court” dispensaries, which provide health services for nearly ten thousands of citizens in the city.

As the group converted the National Hospital to a private hospital in addition to “Hekma” hospital, and put them at the disposal of the group and cease work for free, where ISIS has issued initial pricing to take 1000 Syrian pounds which is equivalent to $ 5 for every night of a newborn child in incubators, and 200 Syrian pounds for radiograph and 400 Syrian pounds for medical analysis, although this amount of money is cheap, it is considered significant inside Syria, especially among low-income earners who their monthly income does not exceed 20 thousand Syrian pounds, therefore he will pay half of his salary to put his son in incubator after birth.

This step comes as a beginning of the privatization of medical sector and control it by ISIS, as the group aims to make money from the medical sector and make it a source of financing for them, where ISIS trying to control the medical field to check people who are receiving treatment and know their identities, for fear of those who are executing assassinations or simple military operations inside their controlled areas.

Today, the citizen who suffers from a disease or needs a surgical operation between two choices, the silence and bear his illness in waiting for death, or borrow money to do the operation, after he was receiving treatment and medicines for free from several medical centers and public hospitals which were operating in the city, note that the group provides treatment and medicines for its members through its own medical centers and hospitals.

In a similar context, reporter of “Raqqa is being slaughtered silently” in Tell Abiad said, that ISIS group raised the price of phone bill from 400 to 1,000 Syrian pounds, in a similar step to what the group did month ago in the city of Raqqa, note that the group has no preferred or effort in the work of telephone lines, where the workers of telephone exchanges are still receiving their salaries from Assad’s regime.

With these steps, ISIS may be nearing to exhaust citizen until the last breath, to force him to join the group to receive advantages and benefits enjoyed by its members, and receive a salary added to his monthly income to improve his standard of living among restrictions imposed by ISIS.

media activist from the city of Raqqa, student at the Faculty of Law at the University of the Euphrates. Director of the Media Office of Raqqa, founding member of "Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently", founding member of the documentary project of "Sound and Picture". I work in documenting violations committed by Assad's regime and ISIS group and extremist organizations inside the city of Raqqa, as I work in programming, design and visual media. I hold a certificate of coach in digital security, and a certificate of journalist coach, and a certificate in documenting violations against human rights, and a certificate in electronic advocacy. I underwent a training under the supervision of "Cyber-Arabs" in collaboration with the Institute for War and Peace "IWPR", about the management of electronic websites and leadership of advocacy campaigns, and a training of press photography under the supervision of the photojournalist "Peter Hove Olesen".