UN allocates $10 million to ensure fuel for Lebanon’s hospitals

By AFP 1 September 2021, 2:44 pm

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A medic assists a patient as others wait in a hallway at the Rafic Hariri University Hospital (RHUH) in Lebanon's capital Beirut on July 23, 2021. (STR / AFP)

The United Nations says its humanitarian funds have allocated Lebanon $10 million to help the cash-strapped nation buy vital fuel to power hospitals and water stations.

“Lebanon faces profound uncertainty. The humanitarian community, though, is resolved to assist all vulnerable populations, whether Lebanese, refugees or migrants,” UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths tweets during a visit to Beirut.

The UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA said yesterday a $6 million allocation from the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund was planned to help 65 hospitals, primary healthcare centers, dispensaries and medical cold storage facilities.

Another $4 million would be set aside for health centers as well as water stations and four water facilities that serve more than two-thirds of Lebanon’s population, it said in a statement.

“The allocation will help 2.3 million people across Lebanon by making sure there is enough fuel to keep water stations functioning,” said OCHA.

“The fuel shortage, a result of the ongoing socioeconomic and political crises, is jeopardizing the availability of health care and drinking water for nearly everyone in Lebanon,” it added.