Syria: Renaming Hospitals and Universities to Remove Symbols of the Former Regime

Syria: Renaming Hospitals and Universities to Remove Symbols of the Former Regime
December 25, 2024, 1:40 pm

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The Minister of Health in the interim Syrian government, Maher Al-Shar'a, has issued an important decision to rename 14 hospitals across the country, in a step aimed at restructuring the health sector and eliminating symbols associated with the collapsed regime. The names of the long-standing universities of Tishreen and Al-Baath have also been modified in this context.

A statement from the Minister of Health clarified that the decision was made "based on the directive from the general leadership to assign the Ministry of Health to manage the hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and in accordance with the public interest."

Among the most notable changes included in the decision is renaming the "General Authority of Al-Assad University Hospital" in Damascus to "The National University Hospital," as well as converting "Al-Baath University Hospital" to "Homs University Hospital." The name of "Basil Al-Assad Hospital" in Qardaha has been changed to "The National Hospital in Qardaha," and "Al-Basel Hospital in Sukhnah" to "The National Hospital in Sukhnah."

The amendments also affected hospitals in various regions, including Hama, Lattakia, Tartus, Sweida, and Deir ez-Zor, as part of an effort to renew the health structure away from the symbolism associated with the former regime.

The changes also included the renaming of hospitals such as "The General Authority of Al-Basel Heart Surgery Hospital in Damascus" to "Damascus Hospital for Cardiology and Heart Surgery," and "The General Authority of Al-Basel National Hospital in Aleppo" to "Aleppo Hospital for Cardiology and Heart Surgery."

In a related context, additional hospitals' names were modified, such as Quneitra Hospital, which is now referred to as "The National Golan Hospital," instead of "Martyr Mamdouh Abazah Hospital."

In another step towards reforming the medical system, Minister Al-Shar'a announced the cancellation of the "Year of Internship" that was added to the years of training for doctors, allowing them to practice their specialties more quickly. The decision also included granting a special opportunity to residents who have exhausted their chances of passing the Syrian Medical Specialties Board exams.

Additionally, the new administration in Syria announced the renaming of Tishreen and Al-Baath universities, with Tishreen University now being called "Lattakia University" and Al-Baath University renamed to "Homs University."

These measures come as part of the new Syrian government's efforts to erase the remnants of the former regime, starting with the removal of images of the former presidents Hafez and Bashar Al-Assad, following the takeover of the new government on December 8, and the flight of Bashar Al-Assad and his family to Russia, which granted them asylum for humanitarian reasons.

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