Lebanon

Many regions in Lebanon have been bombed, especially in the south of the country, the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Beqaa Valley plains and the area around Baalbek and in the north of the Baalbek region.

Essential infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, particularly hospitals, water facilities and schools, disrupting access to vital services. Health centres were overwhelmed by the dramatic increase in patients. Medicines for chronic diseases are not always available and displaced people who have lost their homes and jobs often cannot afford to pay for them anyway, which further exacerbates their vulnerability in terms of health.

In addition to the damage caused by the war, the continued presence of Syrian refugees and the influx of internally displaced Lebanese people have intensified pressure on already limited local resources, aggravating social tensions. As a result, the Lebanese authorities decided to restrict refugees’ access to basic services, in particular by refusing to set up official refugee camps, by blocking their registration or by obstructing humanitarian aid.

To reduce the numbers of avoidable deaths and to improve the general wellbeing of women and young people, Médecins du Monde works with local organisations to offer sexual and reproductive health services at primary healthcare centres.

This includes screening for sexually transmitted infections, family planning and antenatal and postnatal care. These activities seek to improve the accessibility, quality and inclusiveness of sexual and reproductive health services for vulnerable women and girls, including those with disabilities. In 2024, we were able to provide around 12,000 consultations.

Médecins du Monde also provides education sessions on these topics, with 4,644 sessions organised in 2024, and we train community midwives in crisis management.

Médecins du Monde supports and assists local partners, particularly the organisation Skoun, to provide mental healthcare and treatment in communities living in Lebanon. Mental health consultations and therapeutic follow-up are provided at primary healthcare centres (12,772 in 2024), with more serious mental health problems being referred to specialist services. In addition, specialist services are provided free of charge to people suffering from addiction.

Médecins du Monde runs awareness-raising sessions for local communities. The aim is partly to reduce discrimination against patients with mental health problems and partly to provide people with information about what services are available near where they live.

Members of the organisation, including community volunteers and social workers, receive training in basic psychosocial support techniques, stress management and how to identify cases requiring specialist care.