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UN PhotoWHO / LEBANON MEDICAL AID SUPPLIES
STORY: WHO / LEBANON MEDICAL AID SUPPLIES
TRT: 06:44
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WHO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 28 OCTOBER - 12 NOVEMBER 2024, BEIRUT, LEBANON / 09 NOVEMBER 2024, ALEY, LEBANON
28 OCTOBER 2024, BEIRUT, LEBANON
1. Various shots, medical supplies being added to first aid boxes and boxes being stacked
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Rifai, National Officer, Lebanon, World Health Organization (WHO):
“The medical supplies will be used as a first response to any, emergency happening in the shelter. So, the patient will be stabilized and then move to a PHC (Primary Health Care Centre) or to an emergency room.”
01 NOVEMBER 2024, BEIRUT, LEBANON
3. Various shots, medical supplies being added to a first aid box
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Rifai, National Officer, Lebanon, World Health Organization (WHO):
“Mild cases can be treated at the shelter. This will alleviate the pressure from the PHC or the hospital, even during curfew time or at night where the mobility is limited in this current emergency. These supplies of medication will serve the purpose to better take care of any emergency case in these shelters.”
5. Various shots, boxed being stacked and organised
08 NOVEMBER 2024, RAS AL NABY, BEIRUT, LEBANON
6. Various shots, first aid box being unloaded from a vehicle and being delivered to a shelter
7. Various shots, WHO and health workers/volunteers discussing the contents of the first aid box
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Edwina Zoghbi, National Professional Officer, Lebanon, World Health Organization (WHO):
“So, these people here today, as any other shelters, are facing a lot of challenges in accessing healthcare services. WHO today delivered first aid kits to people here so that they are able to access at least the basic healthcare services and for ambulatory cases that they might encounter.”
09 NOVEMBER 2024, ALEY, LEBANON
9. Med shot, first aid box being delivered to a shelter
10. Various shots, medical supplies being inspected
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Yasmin Kerbej, Social Worker, Social Worker's Syndicate of Lebanon:
“It includes Panadol and other basic medications it also includes materials/medicines if someone gets dizzy or develops high fever. There is a blood pressure machine, oxygen machine, thermometers. This way, we will decrease the difficulty for them to access basic healthcare services.”
12. Wide shot, first aid box contents being discussed
13. Close up, medical supplies
13 NOVEMBER 2024, BEIRUT, LEBANON
14. Med shot, first aid box being delivered and being carried onwards for inspection
15. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Randa Salami, Nurse:
“I came as a refugee from Tyre and they welcomed us at the Mar Youssef Center in Batrakiyeh and there were are eight hundred children, women and elderly displaced like me.”
16. Various shots, Randa, discussing the contents of the first aid box with colleagues
17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Randa Salami, Nurse:
“The most important thing. Sometimes while you are sitting a child falls down or for instance a child burns himself, so these (kits) are very important. Even in cases of fainting you know, during this period there are psychological pressures, so this happens.”
18. Med shot, Yasmin Rihawi and in discussion next to the first aid boxes
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Yasmin Rihawi, Program Assistant, Lebanon, World Health Organization (WHO):
“The development of the kits were a collaborative effort between WHO, social worker Syndicate of Lebanon and the Ministry of Public Health, and most importantly, listening to the needs of the communities directly in shelters. This was crucial to ensure that the content of the first aid kit directly meet and serve the specific needs of our communities.”
20. Med shot, Yasmin Rihawi reviewing the contents of a first aid box
21. Wide shot, WHO and health workers in discussion at a table
22. Close up, first aid box
23. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samar, Aid Recipient:
“We were so happy with the kit because there was a case of someone who had undergone an operation and needed to have his wound cleaned and they were wondering how to assist him somewhere outside the shelter. We arrived at the right time, the doctor cleaned and changed the dressing. They were happy with the content of the First Aid kit.”
15 NOVEMBER 2024, HAMRA, BEIRUT, LEBANON
24. Various shots, first aid boxes being unloaded from a vehicle and taken into the school building.
25. Various shots, first aid boxes and printed materials being organised, and loaded into waiting vehicles.
While a ceasefire in Lebanon is most welcomed, close to 900,000 people remain displaced across the country, including some 200,000 living in shelters with limited access to immediate healthcare.
Over the coming days and weeks, many families will be making hard decisions on their future and whether to move again, despite a volatile situation in many parts of the country.
SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Rifai, National Officer, Lebanon, World Health Organization (WHO):
“The medical supplies will be used as a first response to any, emergency happening in the shelter. So, the patient will be stabilized and then move to a PHC (Primary Health Care Centre) or to an emergency room.”
SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Rifai, National Officer, Lebanon, World Health Organization (WHO):
“Mild cases can be treated at the shelter. This will alleviate the pressure from the PHC or the hospital, even during curfew time or at night where the mobility is limited in this current emergency. These supplies of medication will serve the purpose to better take care of any emergency case in these shelters.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has focused on supporting vulnerable populations in shelters by providing essential healthcare services and addressing basic immediate needs to prevent health complications.
SOUNDBITE (English) Edwina Zoghbi, National Professional Officer, Lebanon, World Health Organization (WHO):
“So, these people here today, as any other shelters, are facing a lot of challenges in accessing healthcare services. WHO today delivered first aid kits to people here so that they are able to access at least the basic healthcare services and for ambulatory cases that they might encounter.”
Working closely with the Ministry of Public Health and the Social Worker's Syndicate of Lebanon, key elements of the WHO initiative include distribution of 750 essential first aid kits to over 400 shelters. The kits contain diagnostic tools, medical supplies, and basic medications for common conditions.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Yasmin Kerbej, Social Worker, Social Worker's Syndicate of Lebanon:
“It includes Panadol and other basic medications it also includes materials/medicines if someone gets dizzy or develops high fever. There is a blood pressure machine, oxygen machine, thermometers. This way, we will decrease the difficulty for them to access basic healthcare services.”
Another element of the WHO initiative is an awareness campaign for shelter coordinators and community volunteers on kit usage and addressing frequent health issues.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Randa Salami, Nurse:
“I came as a refugee from Tyre and they welcomed us at the Mar Youssef Center in Batrakiyeh and there were are eight hundred children, women and elderly displaced like me.”
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Randa Salami, Nurse:
“The most important thing. Sometimes while you are sitting a child falls down or for instance a child burns himself, so these (kits) are very important. Even in cases of fainting you know, during this period there are psychological pressures, so this happens.”
WHO is also profiling displaced populations to identify vulnerable groups like older adults, pregnant women, and children as well as strengthening referral mechanisms to connect shelters with healthcare services and ensure continuity of care.
SOUNDBITE (English) Yasmin Rihawi, Program Assistant, Lebanon, World Health Organization (WHO):
“The development of the kits were a collaborative effort between WHO, social worker Syndicate of Lebanon and the Ministry of Public Health, and most importantly, listening to the needs of the communities directly in shelters. This was crucial to ensure that the content of the first aid kit directly meet and serve the specific needs of our communities.”
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samar, Aid Recipient:
“We were so happy with the kit because there was a case of someone who had undergone an operation and needed to have his wound cleaned and they were wondering how to assist him somewhere outside the shelter. We arrived at the right time, the doctor cleaned and changed the dressing. They were happy with the content of the First Aid kit.”
This approach bridges healthcare gaps, facilitates early intervention, and strengthens resilience among displaced populations.
