The World Health Organization says it has released $2 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE) to support the health response in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
$1 million has been allocated to Lebanon to strengthen the WHO’s emergency coordination through the Public Health Emergency Operations Center, scale up trauma care, reinforce disease surveillance, and procure and distribute essential medicines and medical supplies, the agency says in a statement.
Iraq and Syria have each been allocated $500,000 to support emergency coordination and mass-casualty management, procure and distribute essential medicines and supplies, provide health services for displaced populations, and strengthen disease surveillance and community outreach, it adds.
“At a time when health services are already facing significant challenges, support is essential to sustain frontline health workers and maintain critical care services,” says Hanan Balkhy, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean.
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