HIGHLIGHTS
• The average household monthly expenditure on health in 2014 was USD 90 month (UNHCR Health Access and Utilization survey).
• Recent outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases including measles and mumps have been reported.
• It is estimated that around 20% of displaced Syrians in need of hospital care are not able to access it translating to 20,000 persons per year.
• Over 800,000 doses of oral polio vaccinations were administered to children of all nationalities throughout Lebanon.
• The MoPH launched the National Strategy for Mental Health and Substance Use Prevention, Promotion and Treatment 2015-2020, which aims at advancing mental health in terms of leadership, governance, service provision and evidence-based knowledge.
• Five water testing laboratories and eight isolation rooms at public hospitals have been completed.
• Story from the North: A Health Refugee Outreach Volunteer (ROV) took the initiative to set up a group for blood donations. This came as a response to the difficulties faced while trying to find donors for emergency blood transfusions, whereby the process of contacting organizations for help was time consuming. Now, whenever there is an urgent need for blood, the ROV is able to contact those with the required blood type to donate. This initiative has not only decreased the time and effort to find blood donors, but it also demonstrates the capacity of refugees to find solutions to support each other.