Deir Ezzor, Aug. 10 (SANA)Health MinisterMusab al-Aliinaugurated new pediatric and neonatal care units at Al-Huwaidi Children and Maternity Hospital and laid the foundation stone for a specializedoncology hospitalin Deir Ezzor on Monday, as part of efforts to expand healthcare services and reduce patient referrals outside the province.

Al-Ali, accompanied byDeir EzzorGovernor Ziad al-Ayesh, visited Al-Huwaidi Hospital to review medical services and operations. The visit included the launch of several new services aimed at improving specialized care and increasing the facility’s capacity.

The newly opened units include a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the first of its kind in the eastern region, with 10 incubator beds equipped with ventilators and additional respiratory support devices. The unit is designed to improve the hospital’s ability to treat critical newborn cases and reduce referrals to Damascus.

A specialized center for treating acute malnutrition with complications was also opened, with a capacity of nine beds. The center provides assessment, treatment and follow-up services through trained medical staff and specialized support.

The visit also included the opening of a renovated 40-bed pediatric ward equipped with upgraded facilities and improved medical and nursing services to provide a safer treatment environment for children.

Al-Ali said the new units represent an important step in strengthening pediatric and neonatal healthcare services and providing specialized care for cases requiring intensive treatment or nutritional support.

He added that theHealth Ministryis working to improve healthcare facilities and provide quality medical services while reducing the need for patients and their families to travel outside the region for treatment.During the visit, al-Ali also laid the foundation stone for the Deir Ezzor Specialized Oncology Hospital, a project designed to expand cancer treatment services and reduce referrals outside the province.

The hospital will have around 230 beds and six operating rooms for oncology surgeries, along with specialized clinics, an emergency department, an intensive care unit, chemotherapy and day-care units, hematology and oncology departments, isolation wards, a bone marrow transplant unit, radiotherapy services, medical imaging facilities and palliative care services.

The facility is expected to provide comprehensive oncology care, from diagnosis and treatment to follow-up and palliative care, and serve as a referral center for Deir Ezzor, Raqqa and Hasakah provinces.

The project is expected to be completed and equipped within three years, according to the Health Ministry.