“[W]hile the Obama administration claims credit for pushing President Bashar al-Assad into giving up [Syria’s chemical weapon stockpile], some experts say the real credit lies with the doctors who risked their lives — and confronted thorny questions of medical ethics — to bring to light the use of chemical weapons,” the New York Times reports. “Many Syrian doctors have fled; those who remain describe dire conditions where even the most basic care is not available,” the newspaper writes, noting, “By varying estimates, more than 100 doctors have been killed and as many as 600 have been imprisoned.” The newspaper examines Médecins Sans Frontières’ decision to release a statement in August warning of possible chemical attacks, risking exposing their unapproved operations in rebel-controlled territories. The New York Times also features a video interview with one of the article’s authors (Stolberg/Barnard, 10/21).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

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