Syrian Health Ministry to remove Assad family names from hospitals

The Syrian Ministry of Health has announced its decision to rename 15 government and educational hospitals previously named after members of the Assad family.

These hospitals, located in cities such as Damascus, Aleppo, Lattakia, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Tartus, and Al-Qirdaha, were part of a broader tradition of naming public institutions after the former ruling family, Caliber.Az reports referencing Syrian media.

The ministry stated that most of the hospitals would now bear names reflecting the cities in which they are located, aligning with efforts to distance the country from symbols of the previous regime.

To recall, on November 27, armed opposition groups launched a large-scale offensive against government forces in Aleppo and Idlib governorates. By the evening of December 7, opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad had captured several major cities, including Aleppo, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Deraa, and Homs. They entered Damascus on December 8, prompting Syrian army units to withdraw from the city.

On December 10, Mohammed al-Bashir, who since January 2024 led the so-called Salvation Government in Idlib province, announced his appointment as interim prime minister. The transitional period will last until March 1, 2025.

Bashar al-Assad has been the President of Syria since 2000, succeeding his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled since 1971. Initially, there were hopes for political and economic reform under Bashar’s leadership. However, these expectations quickly gave way to continued authoritarian governance reminiscent of his father’s rule. His tenure has been marked by systemic oppression, economic stagnation, and a lack of democratic freedoms.

In 2011, Syria became engulfed in a brutal civil war following the Arab Spring protests. The Assad regime's violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrations escalated into a nationwide armed conflict, characterized by severe human rights abuses, including chemical weapon use, and devastating humanitarian crises. Over 6.7 million Syrians became refugees, and an equal number were displaced internally, making it one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century​

Assad's rule has relied heavily on foreign alliances, particularly with Russia and Iran, which provided military and financial support, allowing his government to regain control of most of the country by the late 2010s. However, Syria remains fragmented, with significant areas under opposition or Kurdish control and continued insurgent activity, such as the recent offensives threatening Assad's hold on power​.

By Khagan Isayev