Syrian President’s Father Criticizes Privatization of State Hospitals

Hussein al-Sharaa, the father of Syria’s president, has publicly joined those opposing the proposed privatization of public hospitals. In a Facebook post on Sunday, he criticized current discussions around transferring hospital management to private companies, describing the idea as a violation of the state’s core social responsibilities. He argued that such a shift would turn healthcare from an essential public service into a profit-driven enterprise.

The debate intensified last week after Talal al-Hilali, head of the Syrian Investment Agency (SIA), suggested in televised remarks that the country’s 71 government hospitals could be handed over to specialized private companies to manage and benefit from their revenues. He framed the idea as a partnership model, pointing to the expansion of private and international schools as a precedent.

Although the Agency later issued a clarifying statement—widely interpreted as a retreat—the backlash continued to dominate Syrian social-media discussions. The issue is particularly sensitive amid severe economic hardship and soaring living costs, including electricity bills that have risen more than six hundredfold.

Not the First Critique of Liberal Market Policies

This is not the first time the president’s father has criticized the government’s turn toward a liberal market approach. In February of last year, he wrote that privatizing state-owned companies and institutions was a “major mistake,” arguing that the public sector represents national wealth built over decades. He attributed the sector’s stagnation and losses not to its structure but to “ignorant administrations” that mismanaged it as if it were personal property.

In his latest comments on hospital privatization, al-Sharaa stressed that the state’s primary duty is to care for its citizens and ease their daily burdens. He emphasized that the state exists to serve the people and warned that abandoning this responsibility invites “soft and heavy criticism,” which he described as a legitimate right of those observing public affairs.

“I find myself, along with many people, firmly believing that the state must shoulder the basic burdens. Its priorities should be education, health, public services, and development that achieves GDP growth benefiting individuals and society.”

He added that free education is an investment in the future and that free healthcare—whether preventive or treatment-based—is a right for every citizen.

A “Calamity” for the People

Al-Sharaa noted that since the founding of the Syrian state, hospitals have provided free medical services. Turning them over to private capital, he said, would convert healthcare into a business governed by profit and loss. “This, by my life, is a calamity,” he wrote, arguing that such a move signals the state’s withdrawal from its responsibilities.

He warned that privatization would be disastrous for the majority of Syrians, who are already struggling to meet basic needs. He described the broader push to privatize public facilities and factories as a setback for national aspirations and rejected any retreat from the state’s role in economic life. He cautioned against transforming Syria into a “state of police, defense, and hidden apparatuses,” saying that countries that follow such a path lose their meaning because a state is responsible for its people directly, not through “agents.”

Al-Hilali: Health Sector Remains a State Responsibility

On Thursday, Talal al-Hilali issued a statement clarifying that reports about privatizing government hospitals were “incorrect.” He stressed that the health sector will remain under state responsibility and will “not be offered for sale under any circumstances.”

He acknowledged the public’s concerns, noting that the strong reaction reflects Syrians’ deep attachment to their right to healthcare. He explained that the proposals under discussion involve:

• Modern Management Models: Exploring partnerships with the private sector to improve operational mechanisms.
• Quality Improvement: Enhancing the standard of medical services.
• Efficiency: Ensuring treatment remains accessible to all citizens while maintaining government oversight.

Al-Hilali concluded that the state remains the “primary guarantor” of healthcare and that any adopted model will be subject to full government supervision and strict monitoring to ensure no citizen is denied treatment due to financial hardship.

The post Syrian President’s Father Criticizes Privatization of State Hospitals first appeared on The Syrian Observer.