WHO and Italian embassy sign agreement to strengthen hospital care in Lebanon

The World Health Organization representative in Lebanon, Dr. Iman Shankiti, and the Italian Ambassador in Beirut, Nicoletta Bombardiere, signed an agreement Thursday at the Italian Embassy in Beirut worth 1,616,000 euros, which is aimed at supporting the strengthening of public health systems in Lebanon.

"It has two main pillars: the first is improving the government’s regulatory capacity in terms of access to quality medications, by expanding the pharmaceuticals bar code system at the national level, and the second is enhancing the capacity of public hospitals to deliver quality services, by supporting selected public hospitals in terms of emergency care capacity," a joint statement said.

“This generous fund is a continuation of the Italian government’s support to the health system in Lebanon. As always we remain true to our motto that health should be available for all. And I like to add that no one should be left behind,” said Shankiti.

This project is implemented by WHO in close coordination with the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) in Lebanon in line with the Ministry’s priorities.

Nicoletta Bombardiere, Ambassador of Italy in Lebanon, said: “The goal of the Italian Cooperation is to contribute to global health by promoting universal health coverage, equity and access to health for all. Strengthening the public health system and improving quality health services are key examples of our strategy in this sector in Lebanon.”

Alessandra Piermattei, Director of AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation) Beirut, said: “For the Italian Cooperation, health is an essential aspect of the social and economic development of the population. For this reason, we consider access to medicine and health care very important in the current difficult context in Lebanon.”

"The government of Italy has always been at the forefront of supporting the Lebanese people by providing generous contributions for to the strengthening of the health system, both in terms of governance as well as infrastructure, and in terms of improving the quality of care, especially in emergency care," the statement said.

Furthermore, the Government of Italy provided an emergency donation of pediatric cancer medications, with a value of 500,000 euros, that were delivered to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health through the World Health Organization.