Addressing the Burdens on Lebanon’s Health System: Discussions with International Partners at the United Nations General Assembly

2023-09-23 07:40:41

Caretaker Public Health Minister Firas Al-Abyad continued his meetings in New York on the sidelines of his participation in the United Nations General Assembly meetings and discussed with his Dutch counterpart Ernst Kuipers the enormous burdens placed on the health system in Lebanon. Al-Abyad praised what the Netherlands and the European Union are offering to help this system face the accumulated challenges in light of the financial, economic and social crisis.

The Minister of Public Health pointed out that “the massive Syrian displacement is affecting the Lebanese health system and exposing it to structural weakness, which constitutes an imminent danger to Lebanon from which the region will not be immune,” stressing that “Lebanon, especially its health system, has the right to receive the support it needs.” Real to be able to continue providing quality health and medical services.

The Minister of Health also met with the Deputy Minister of Health of Armenia, Lena Nanushyan, and the discussion discussed the exchange of experiences between the two countries, given the similarity in the health system in both countries, especially in terms of redirecting the system to rely on primary care as a necessary step that establishes the achievement of comprehensive health coverage, as well as benefiting from The great strides that Armenia has made in organizing the relationship with its people from the communities spread throughout the world.

Al-Abyad participated in a symposium organized to mark the fifth anniversary of the launch of the Global Initiative for Treating Childhood Cancer and the good results it achieved, in the presence of the President of the Slovak Republic, the Ministers of Health from several countries, and the Director of the Children’s Cancer Center in Lebanon, Dr. Hassan Al-Solh. In his speech, the Minister of Health affirmed that “the issue of childhood cancer occupies a priority in the national cancer plan approved by the Ministry of Public Health,” expressing his satisfaction with the advanced services Lebanon provides in cancer treatment, stressing at the same time “the necessity of activating cooperation with international partners to ensure the preservation of At the level of these services and their support.

Al-Abyad also attended a ministerial meeting called for by the Qatar mission, with the participation of the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Ghebreyesus, the Minister of Health of Qatar, Dr. Hanan Al-Kuwari, and health ministers and experts, devoted to researching the issue of health protection, especially the issue of antibiotic resistance and the need for cooperation between various countries of the world to confront this problem. Which is described as a silent and very serious problem.

During the meeting, Al-Abyad pointed out that “Lebanon suffers from a high percentage of antibiotic-resistant germs,” adding that the Ministry of Public Health seeks to reduce the risks of this problem in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Veterinary Medicine Authority.

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