Underground network a lifeline for Syria

In the city of Homs, anywhere between 40 to 50 constantly-moving makeshift hospitals have been set up to treat those who cannot seek help from state-run hospitals for fear of arrest, torture and death.

"If it weren't for the emergency care I got, I would have bled to death," a patient who was treated at an underground clinic told CNN.

But the situation is dire in Syria, with shortages in food, fuel and most importantly medical supplies.

A central base has been set up in neighbouring Lebanon where medical supplies are shipped to and then smuggled over the border on donkeys or motorbikes.