AFD: 5M euro grant to ICRC to help Rafic Hariri University Hospital...

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The French Development Agency (AFD) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) signed on Thursday a grant agreement of 5 million euros, to serve as additional funding for the project that is already set up at Rafic Hariri University Hospital (RHUH) since December 2019.

This aid, announced by President Macron during his visit last September, aims to help the hospital in its fight against COVID-19 in a post-blast context. The largest public university hospital in Lebanon, the Hariri Hospital has been designated as a reference center for the coronavirus response. RHUH will receive additional support of € 5 million through the ICRC, AFD's preferred partner in Lebanon.

This additional funding will allow the hospital to maintain its capacity to manage the COVID crisis, as Lebanon has as of late been witnessing many outbreaks. More than 1,000 infected patients have been admitted to hospital since the start of the pandemic, 743 of whom have made a full recovery. The hospital currently performs around 200 to 500 PCR tests per day, and 100,991 tests have been carried out since the onset of the crisis. With 120 COVID beds and 40 COVID intensive care beds, RHUH is the hospital with the largest capacity in the country to accommodate patients who are infected with the virus and who need emergency hospitalization.

"Amid the economic crisis in Lebanon, Rafic Hariri University Hospital has witnessed an increase in the number of patients. With this support, AFD is helping vulnerable populations and is showing that any action or policy undertaken in this hospital can have nation-wide impact and induce a long-term improvement of the sector," explained the Country Director of AFD in Lebanon, Arthur Germond.

This additional funding will also help improve the patient journey in non-COVID emergencies through renovation works: the hours following the blast at the port of Beirut revealed that the current organization of the emergency room and care for the injured could be optimized. This additional support will also cover medical equipment meant to expand the reception capacity of neonatal and pediatric intensive care units. Improvement in wound management is also targeted through the provision of medical equipment and staff capacity-building, by creating and updating medical protocols.

"The ICRC is very proud to have partnered with RHUH since 2016 and AFD since 2019. This partnership has already helped treat more than 25,000 vulnerable patients of different nationalities. In addition, it has made it possible to finance more than forty renovation projects within the hospital, projects which have been crucial in improving the quality of the hospital's response to the COVID crisis," commented the head of the ICRC delegation in Lebanon, Christophe Martin.

Finally, the complementary funding will help improve the hospital's resilience to power shortages, and so particularly by replacing old electricity generators. The almost permanent power cuts have resulted in the overuse of existing generators, hence the need to replace them in order to guarantee the continuity of the hospital's operation without impacting the quality of care offered.

"The story of the Rafic Hariri University Hospital is a great story to tell. An institution brought back from the edge of the abyss thanks to the collaboration of local management and external aid. Our five-year partnership with the ICRC, which has been supported by AFD for two years now, has enabled the hospital to continue its journey by implementing over 40 projects costing millions of euros. It has also allowed better access to care for tens of thousands of vulnerable patients," said the General Manager of RHUH, Dr. Firas Abiad.

Located in the southern districts of Beirut, the hospital welcomes the most vulnerable populations of Beirut and Mount Lebanon. It welcomed people injured by the August 4 blast. Due to the damage caused to hospitals in the capital, hundreds of wounded made their way to RHUH, the main public hospital in the country.

"France, through AFD, supports the access of vulnerable populations to quality healthcare services. This support to the Rafic Hariri University Hospital in Beirut has proven to be crucial not only in this health crisis but also in the present context of socio-economic deterioration. This additional funding will translate into practice the commitment made by the President of the Republic during his visit to Beirut in September to provide rapid and significant aid to this hospital," said the French Ambassador to Lebanon Anne Grillo.

Present in this establishment since 2016, the ICRC has achieved a good level of knowledge and control of the work environment and has developed real know-how in terms of interaction and intervention in the Lebanese public health system. Since 2019, AFD has been helping to ensure the continuity of the project as part of a tripartite partnership whose funding has increased from € 20 million to € 25 million.

NNA