UN officials inspect health services for Syrian refugees in Lebanon

BEIRUT, April 14 (KUNA) -- UN Secretary General's Humanitarian Envoy Dr. Abdullah Al-Maatouq and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres visited Rafiq Al-Hariri Hospital in Beirut on Tuesday as part of efforts to inspect health services for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
The large numbers of refugees put strains on Lebanon's health sector and on this government university hospital in particular, said Dr. Al-Maatouq, also chairman of the Kuwait-based International Islamic Charitable Organization and advisor to the Amiri Diwan.
In a statement to KUNA and Kuwait TV, he commended the hospital for serving patients regardless of their nationality whether Lebanese nationals or Syrian refugees, noting that the Syrian refugees represent 40 percent of the hospital admissions.
Dr. Al-Maatouq urged the donors to pay more attention to the needs of the health sector in Lebanon and ensure provision of the necessary medical supplies and personnel in order to help this sector cope up with the current challenges.
Meanwhile, Guterres said the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) committed USD 1.5 million in additional funding for the costs of healthcare provided by the hospital to the Syrian refugees.
The funding is meant to reduce the deficit of the hospital which hit USD six million this year due to the large numbers of refugees, he pointed out.
The UN Refugee Agency will continue working with other aid agencies and international donors to ensure sustainability of healthcare for the Syrian refugees, Guterres pledged.
On his part, Director General of the Lebanese Ministry of Health Walid Ammar expressed gratitude to Kuwait for its timely response to the needs of the Syrian refugees and hosting the three international humanitarian pledging conferences for Syria.
"The UNHCR and other aid agencies provided indispensable funding for the Lebanese health sector and narrowing the gap of budgets of the Lebanese hospitals, notably Rafiq Al-Hariri Hospital," he added.
Al-Maatouq and Guterres also paid an inspection tour of Amel vocational training center in the southern district of Beirut and were briefed on its activities to help the Syrian refugees, males and females, to earn living. (pickup previous) wsm.gb