Desperate family appeals for help amid deadly siege of Eastern Ghouta

A Syrian family has desperately sought help in the besieged area of Eastern Ghouta, where over 400,000 people are caught in a deadly siege and fighting that has crippled the country's healthcare system. 

"I wish I could be heard by someone to help me. I want my daughter be evacuated for treatment or be treated here. My little daughter's condition is heartbreaking," said Diyal Atwat of her three-year-old daughter Rama, who's suffering from cancer. 

Rama depends on the intravenous drip to survive but it's hard to get health care in the region - an opposition stronghold under siege since 2013.  

"Rama's condition has significantly worsened. She bleeds from the tumor. She also suffers from convulsion fits in her throat. No therapy is available here," Atwat said.

TRT World's Rahul Radhakrishnan has more.

The area has been designated a de-escalation zone in a deal brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey. 

But the regime of Bashar al Assad is yet to lift its siege while Russia continues its bombardment. 

"The siege has been excruciatingly tightened since 2017. All crossings, including the humanitarian corridors for evacuating patients, have been blocked," said Wissam Mohammed, a doctor.

For Rama and her family, their medical needs are urgent but their fate, like that of most Syrians, lies on political negotiations taking place thousands of miles away, and whose outcome, can only be guessed.