The few remaining doctors in Aleppo, Syria penned an open letter to President Obama pleading for the U.S. to open a "permanent lifeline" to the besieged city for urgently needed medical and food supplies.
The letter, written by 15 of the last doctors serving in eastern Aleppo, describes a dire humanitarian situation for people still living there.
Though rebel troops recently broke through a month-long government siege to deliver minimal aid, the few doctors left serving the 300,000 people still living in the war-torn city remain under constant attack.
The doctors warned Obama that their medical services in the region could be entirely eliminated in a month as assaults on medical facilities continue to occur every 17 hours.
"We have seen no effort on behalf of the United States to lift the siege or even use its influence to push the parties to protect civilians," the doctors wrote.
The Bashar al-Assad regime, backed by the Russian military and Iran, severed key supply routes into the city in the spring, sealing off the last road for resources into eastern Aleppo in July.
Syrians in the region have been reusing disposable medical supplies, like syringes, and people have expressed concerns that ambulances and hospital generators will be unable to run as fuel levels continue to degrade.
"What pains us most, as doctors, is choosing who will live and who will die," the doctors wrote. "Young children are sometimes brought into our emergency rooms so badly injured that we have to prioritize those with better chances, or simply don’t have the equipment to help them."
Only 29 doctors remain in the city, according to the Independent.
The letter said that just last month there were 42 attacks on medical facilities in Syria, 15 of which were on hospitals where the signatories work.
A senior Obama administration official told CNN on Thursday that the White House has received the letter.
"We commend the bravery of medical professionals across Syria who are working every day in perilous circumstances with minimal supplies to save lives," the official said.