Lebanon

Our teams are supporting hospital staff in Zahle by managing a triage zone for children, consisting of tents set-up on the hospital grounds. We are also assisting with management of patients suspected to have COVID-19 in the inpatient ward and the paediatric intensive care unit. 

Our hospital in Bar Elias, which usually handles elective surgery and wound care, is now prepared to host COVID-19 patients. This has entailed postponement of all surgery, but our wound care activities are able to continue. 

In addition to adapting activities in the hospital services we run, MSF staff have also been in contact with several governmental hospitals (in Hermel, Saida, and Tripoli to support them with logistics, medical supplies, and staff training. In northern Beirut, MSF has partnered with a local organisation called the Anti-Racism Movement in order to provide medical support and other assistance through a helpline to migrant communities during the lockdown. 

We are engaging with community leaders and partner NGOs to spread awareness about general protective measures, especially in crowded refugee camps and informal tented settlements. 

Home to approximately 6 million people, more than a quarter of Lebanon’s population is now made up of refugees. This influx of people has put immense strain on the country’s economy and infrastructure and this is particularly felt in the health sector. Lebanon's national services, such as education, housing, water and electricity are suffering from a lack of investment and the pressure of providing for a growing population with such specific needs.

Healthcare for refugees living in Lebanon

Despite the efforts of the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health in supporting primary and secondary healthcare for refugees, the cost of consultations, laboratory tests, and medication remains a barrier for a significant number of refugees.

Our teams provide treatment for acute and chronic diseases, sexual and reproductive healthcare, mental health support and health promotion activities. MSF also operates a home-based care program for patients with chronic diseases who suffer from mobility problems.

MSF expanded its services to offer secondary and tertiary care with the opening of a paediatric unit in a government hospital in 2017. Teams also run mother and child health centres across the country, for vulnerable communities of various nationalities, including largely Palestinian and Syrian refugees. 

MSF runs three primary healthcare centres in Tripoli and Akkar governorates and a dedicated mental health program in three centres, targeting vulnerable Syrians and Lebanese.

In October 2017, MSF implemented a water and sanitation program in informal tente settlements in a number of villages in Akkar that are not assisted by other humanitarian organisations.