Vulnerable people groups
More than a quarter of Lebanon’s population is made up of refugees, as many people fled Syria to Lebanon. Many of these people face barriers to accessing healthcare, exacerbated by an increasingly strained public health system.
Supporting vulnerable populations
We continue to support the Elias Hraoui Government hospital, by triaging and screening children with suspected COVID-19. Meanwhile, at our Siblin isolation centre, our teams are working alongside the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees to support all patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 to self-isolate who cannot manage to isolate at home.
Providing essentials
Our team continues to support preventative measures, installing eight water tanks in both the Shatila and Burj Al-Barajneh camps, and another 43 tanks in Ain Al-Helwe camp. We have also distributed 600 hygiene kits to date.
Testing and triage
Our Medical Response Team conducted 229 PCR testing campaigns and continues to support the Ministry of Public Health’s testing capacity. Our project-based Rapid Response Teams have also increased testing campaigns in Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley, to support people trying to cross the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Médecins Sans Frontières is providing support and medical care around the world to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re providing essential care through dedicated COVID-19 facilities, equipping frontline medical staff with PPE and training, and supporting health authorities through testing and community education.
With 50 years of experience fighting epidemics, we’re committed to protecting the most vulnerable and saving lives.
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.
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.
