Syrian patients protest at the Turkish border

Dozens of cancer patients from north-west Syria demonstrated on Saturday at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey for permission to enter the country and receive medical treatment. Bab al-Hawa is the main humanitarian crossing point for north-western Syria. Turkey is not obliged to let people enter for treatment. After the devastating earthquakes in February, Turkey did not accept cancer patients for a long time. Only a few weeks ago, patients came across the border again - around 260 who had previously been treated in Turkey. According to the health director of the Syrian province of Idlib, around 600 other cancer patients are currently waiting to enter Turkey, including around 100 children. Medical care in Syria is poor after more than 10 years of war. About two-thirds of medical facilities were operational last year, with more destroyed by the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey in February.