From emergency response to readiness for the next crisis in Northern Syria  

Following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Northern Syria in 2023, access to healthcare in Northwest Syria became extremely difficult. While international aid quickly reached Turkey, ongoing conflict and political instability meant that many communities in Northern Syria were left with very limited access to emergency medical care.  

To help respond to this urgent situation, Hospitainer Foundation deployed a fully operational 112-bed field hospital to Afrin in Northwest Syria. Together with local partner Independent Doctors Association (IDA), supporting organizations including Movement On The Ground, Humedica, Malteser International, and logistics partner Willem de Koning, the hospital was operational within just four weeks.  

This project shows how emergency medical infrastructure can be deployed quickly when it is needed most, especially through strong collaboration between local and international partners. It also highlights the temporary and flexible nature of emergency healthcare: as the situation in the region changed and the need for large-scale emergency care declined, the hospital was carefully dismantled and prepared for future deployment in the next crisis.  

Rapid deployment and medical capacity  

The field hospital provided surgical care, maternity services, intensive care, inpatient wards, and outpatient treatment to thousands of people displaced by the earthquakes or the ongoing civil war and living in nearby tent camps.  

IDA played a crucial role in the project by managing local staffing, procurement of medicines and supplies, and daily medical operations. The project demonstrated how strong partnerships between international and local organizations can make fast humanitarian response possible, even in areas where aid access is extremely difficult.  

Changing needs on the ground  

By the end of 2024, the humanitarian situation in Northern Syria had changed significantly. Following political developments in the region, many displaced families were able to return to their home regions in the south. The tent camps surrounding the hospital gradually disappeared, and with them, the urgent need for large-scale emergency healthcare capacity in Afrin.  

In coordination with IDA, the decision was made to carefully decommission the hospital in the summer of 2025. This project highlights an often-overlooked aspect of humanitarian aid: not only deploying emergency infrastructure quickly, but also responsibly dismantling and storing it once the immediate crisis has passed.  

Ready for redeployment  

Hospitainer teams and locally hired workers dismantled the entire 112-bed hospital within four days. All units were inspected, cleaned, and professionally repacked for storage.  

The hospital is now safely stored and ready for future deployment when the next emergency occurs.  

This project demonstrates how flexible medical infrastructure, combined with trusted local partnerships and international support, can deliver life-saving healthcare rapidly and remain ready for the next humanitarian crisis when needed most.