Medical aid conveys carrying much needed supplies have not been able to reach the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo. The government promised access for the World Health Organization last month; now however, it will not grant entry to the rebel-held parts of the city.

The Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organizations, a nongovernmental body made up of Syrian doctors, says disease is running rampant in the city. In particular, cholera, typhoid, scabies, and tuberculosis are spreading quickly due to the lack of medicines and treatments.

The WHO had received a promise from the government on December 22. The organization was given permission to deliver aid to Aleppo as well as to the besieged districts of Mouadamiya in Damascus, and Eastern Ghouta, outside the capital. The WHO had planned to begin delivery within in a week of receiving permission.

“Delays often happen due to operational and/or security reasons but details are not to be shared,” said Tarik Jašarević, a spokesman for the WHO, in an email to Reuters.

There are some 360,000 people living in the rebel-held area of the city. Yet the Syrian government will not allow conveys to enter for fear that the trucks may be used to transport weapons to the rebel fighters. Government forces control three sides of the city. The rebel forces holding onto Aleppo are tenacious, managing to withstand the government’s attacks for nearly three years.

According to Reuters, the WHO claims 240,000 medical treatments are being held in a warehouse in the government controlled portion of the city. They have been told that further distribution “will begin shortly”.

Meanwhile, people are dying. At one point in time, Aleppo had over 5,000 doctors. Now there are only 36.

The Syrian civil war started in March 2011 as part of the Arab Spring. What started as protests against President Bashar al-Assad has become a prolonged power struggle that has left over 200,000 dead. According to the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) 6.5 million Syrians are internally displaced. Additionally, three million people have fled the country to neighboring countries such as Jordon, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq.

Syrian officials could not be reached for comment.