Resilience of Lebanese Health Sector in Times of Crisis: International Aid and Preparedness

2023-12-12 17:18:06

The Lebanese citizen always wonders about the possibility of the health sector’s “resilience” in the event of the outbreak of the Israeli war on Lebanon, especially since hospitals have been in a state of incapacity since 2019. However, any observer can conclude that it is the ongoing international aid to the health sector that “prevented” it from Collapse during exceptional circumstances.

German aid
Once again, the Ministry of Public Health received 20 (TRAUMA KITS) medical aid from the German state through the World Health Organization. Any medical supplies and trauma supplies intended to treat war-wounded, in the event of a large-scale war breaking out on Lebanese territory.

“TRAUMA KITS” is a large set of medical supplies capable of treating more than 250 wounded people, consisting of special medical supplies for use during surgical operations.

In fact, international aid to the Lebanese health sector is not the first of its kind, as the Lebanese state has previously received various aid from various international organizations (the World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders, the United Nations, UNICEF… and others), especially after the Ministry of Health’s emergency plan was announced. Various countries of the world responded to the humanitarian call, and the Lebanese state received, for the first time, medical aid from the World Health Organization’s logistical center in Dubai, to meet the needs of more than 1,000 wounded.

International aid varied, and medical supplies were not limited to those designated for use during surgical operations to treat war-wounded people, but also included special supplies for ambulance teams, medical supplies designated for difficult births, and others.

International aid was distributed in various Lebanese hospitals, and the Ministry of Health kept the rest of the medical supplies and placed them in warehouses and warehouses belonging to the Ministry.

Official numbers
It is worth noting that the emergency plan drawn up by the Lebanese state exposed the Ministry of Health to various criticisms, given that the Lebanese state is in a state of bankruptcy, and it will be difficult for hospitals to withstand. However, the Minister of Health in the caretaker government, Firas Al-Abyad, stated to Al-Modon that the amount available within the Ministry of Health (The allocation for treating war-wounded) has exceeded 22 million US dollars, explaining that the Lebanese state has allocated an amount (one thousand billion pounds) to equip hospitals, and the rest of the amount is a loan from the World Bank.

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According to the official figures obtained by Al-Modon from the Ministry of Health, the number of hospitals in Lebanon is about 160, while those prepared through the Ministry of Health are about 45, and this number is divided between large and powerful hospitals, and hospitals located near areas of conflict in South Lebanon. The number of beds allocated to receive the wounded reached 5,000.

Returning to the July 2006 war, Al-Abyad explains that the Ministry at that time needed about 5 million US dollars in order to treat more than 11,000 wounded, while the amount currently available within the Ministry of Health is 22 million US dollars.

Since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle, the Ministry of Health has organized more than 100 training courses for medical staff in all hospitals (governmental and private), and although Al-Abyad believes that the readiness of hospitals has become better than it was during the past months, they will need additional support if the hospitals are bombed. Israeli.

3 months and more..
For this reason, and for fear of a repeat of the series of medication interruptions, Al-Abyad confirms that the stock of medicines is now sufficient for more than 3 months, pointing out that the medicines designated for dialysis patients are now available for 3 months as well, and the Ministry of Health has distributed about (60 tons) of medical supplies. In hospitals (governmental and private). But the basic question remains: “Will the health sector be able to withstand the war?” nobody knows.

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