After ceasing its surgical activities in Bar Elias hospital, MSF aims to readjust its presence to respond to the emerging needs in Lebanon in close collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health.

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders (MSF) ceased its surgical activities in the Bar Elias hospital. With that, MSF is aiming to readjust its presence and activities to the emerging needs in Lebanon in close collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health.

“In 2016, MSF agreed to rehabilitate the hospital in Bar Elias in order to increase the medical capacity in Central Bekaa by providing outpatient and inpatient care including surgical activities” explains Julien Raickman, MSF Head of Mission in Lebanon. “Since then, our medical teams performed more than 5,700 surgeries and provided wound care for more than 1,700 patients”.

The hospital remains on standby while we continue working together with the Ministry of Public Health on defining its optimal future use. However, MSF ensures the equipment is part of the hospital and will not be given away, except few drugs that were sent to other MSF clinics and other nearby health facilities to prevent waste.

Nonetheless, MSF remains committed to providing free medical care to the people in need in Lebanon and remains ready to respond whenever emergencies occur as was the case in 2020 for Covid-19 or more recently for cholera in 2022. A recent assessment was done by MSF teams in the central Bekaa to better understand the needs and how the organisation can readjust its presence and activities in close collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health.

“Médecins Sans Frontières is thankful for the support and the welcoming of the Bar Elias communities, as well as the local and national authorities over the years. The vital work we provided wouldn’t have been possible without a good collaboration”, adds Raickman.

MSF is working with around 700 staff in six governorates in Lebanon, providing free medical care and supporting the Lebanese healthcare system in Wadi Khaled, Hermel, Arsal, Tripoli, Beirut and its suburbs. Our teams did more than 140,000 free medical consultations in 2022 to people who need it most. Our approach aims to provide health services to everyone, based on medical needs.

MSF’s actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence, impartiality and neutrality.