HEALTH
Anera Delivers Critical Medical Supplies to Lebanon’s Haifa Hospital
Medical aid donated by Americares arrive when they are needed most
Lebanon's public health crisis has worsened exponentially with daily reports of deaths either directly or indirectly the result of the country’s economic collapse. The World Bank describes the financial crisis crippling the country as one of the “deepest depressions in modern history.”
Lebanese citizens wait hours in long lines for just about everything they depend on to survive. Meanwhile, refugee communities have reached indescribable levels of despair.
Haifa Hospital, at the heart of the urban Burj El Barajneh Refugee Camp, is operating in a crisis. Any disruption of the health services they offer would be profoundly dangerous for the communities they serve. This charity-based hospital is the only health option for thousands of Syrian and Palestinian refugees living in the camp, as well as nearby vulnerable Lebanese neighborhood and immigrants from Bangladesh and Ethiopia.
“Lebanon’s health sector is in crisis.”
Haifa Hospital depends on the support of Anera and our donors, and long-time partners like Americares. The hospital is always on our priority list for receiving donated medical shipments. The most recent Americares shipment included thousands of much-needed bandages and surgical supplies.
“Lebanon’s health sector is in crisis,” says Ibrahim El-Ahmad, the head pharmacist. “Our country faces a severe shortage of all kinds of medicines. Haifa Hospital has been serving patients beyond our capacity for years, and the demand for medical care deepened after Syrian refugees began seeking shelter here a decade ago.
El-Ahmad adds, “Today our supplies are almost depleted and soon we will be forced to stop some of our services.”
The hospital exhausted its stock of bandages and wound-care supplies caring for the injured after Beirut’s dock explosion last August and the subsequent demonstrations.
Anera has been supporting Haifa Hospital for 15 years. Along with its partner Americares we have helped the Palestinian Red Crescent, the founding charity of the hospital, keep the hospital open. But the challenge of keeping the hospital running overshadows daily operations.
Anera’s new pharmacist intern Romy Faour recently visited the hospital to check on the Americares shipment. It was her first visit to a Palestinian camp in Lebanon.
“As soon as I entered the hospital I could see how much help is needed and how grateful the doctors and nurses are for Americares’ and Anera’s support. What inspired me was how they are make the most out of what we can provide, using the supplies for so many purposes throughout the hospital.”
“What inspired me was how they are make the most out of what we can provide...”
El-Ahmad echoes that sentiment. “The supply of surgical bandages and medical supplies from Americares can benefit more than 50 patients a day. All these donations came at just the right time when we needed them most.”
