Minister of Public Health, Dr. Rakan Nasser Al-Din, confirmed that the health system in Lebanon faces two main challenges: the ongoing Israeli aggression and the protracted displacement crisis, which places great pressure on the infrastructure and health services.
The minister’s statements came during Lebanon’s speech at the seventy-second session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean Region in Cairo, where he called on the international community to continue supporting Lebanon in facing these challenges. He explained that the Israeli aggression led to huge losses, the disruption of services, and the displacement of communities, while displacement puts additional pressure on limited resources.
The Minister indicated that the Ministry has begun implementing ambitious reform axes that include:– Implementing the National Digital Health Strategy to improve licensing, registration, and tracking of medicines and data.– Developing the Central Public Health Laboratory as a reference center for quality assurance and diagnosis.– Develop a framework for health technology assessment (HTA) to ensure policies are based on scientific evidence.
Nasser Al-Din stressed that the reform efforts aim to enhance the sustainability of the health system, expand access to services, improve treatment coverage, and support primary care, in addition to linking health system networks to enhance emergency preparedness and rapid response to health threats. He pointed out that Lebanon continued its work during the recent Israeli aggression, while maintaining the level of services and enhancing the ministry’s investment in health care.
