BEIRUT, – Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Ahmad Al-Mandhari said on Thursday that the expansion of hostilities into southern Lebanon threatens the region’s health security.
This came during Al-Mandhari’s statement after his visit to Beirut as part of strengthening the Lebanese health system in case of any escalation that may occur after the situation in the southern border.
He added, “An increased spillover of hostilities into southern Lebanon would place even more civilians at risk of death or injury and potentially threaten the health security of the entire region.” WHO is working to ensure that Lebanon’s health system is better prepared to manage the mass casualty and to provide health services to people displaced without compromising existing health services for people living in the area, he said.
He noted that the health system in Lebanon has been challenged by the ongoing economic crisis and the impact of the Beirut blast of August 2020, and overwhelmed by the increasing burden of Syrian refugees’ needs.
The statement reported that 42 people were killed, 193 others were injured, and at least 29,000 people were displaced since the beginning of the conflict across the border with Lebanon.
WHO prepositioned trauma supplies, enough for 800 people, in eight public hospitals to scale up their capacity to potentially receive greater numbers of injured patients, he said.
He also added that more trauma and surgical supplies, enough for 3000 people, will be delivered in the coming days to 30 referral hospitals to strengthen their emergency response capacity.
During his visit, Dr. Al-Mandhari, accompanied by Regional Emergency Director Dr. Richard Brennan, met with Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Minister of Public Health, Dr. Firass Abiad.
Dr Al-Mandhari also visited the Ministry of Public Health warehouse in Karatina, where additional health supplies received from WHO’s logistics hub in Dubai have been prepositioned for southern Lebanon.
Al-Mandhari called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip “so that the losses and suffering do not escalate further,” pointing out that WHO requested USD 50 million to strengthen its efforts in confronting the crisis.
Source: Kuwait News Agency
