A new report on the Syrian conflict warns children are among the most severely impacted by the virtual collapse of the country’s health system. According to Save the Children, several thousand Syrian kids have died because of a drastic reduction in access to health services, losing their lives to diseases and conditions including cancer, epilepsy, asthma, diabetes, hypertension and kidney failure. Overall, at least 10,000 children have died in violence. Save the Children’s Roger Hearn said the problem is most acute in besieged cities like Aleppo.

Roger Hearn: “What we’ve seen with the report is, basically, there’s been a complete collapse of much of the health system inside Syria. We’re seeing situations, for example, in Aleppo where 36 doctors are looking after around 2.5 million patients across the city. So, a system that’s collapsed, 60 percent of health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, and as a result of that, we’re seeing some really terrible outcomes for children.”

Later this week will mark three years since the Syrian conflict began.