Rachaya primary health center
The official opening of the extension to the Rachaya center was attended by Lebanese parliamentarian Wael Abou Faour, Dr. Randa Hamadeh, representative of the Ministry of Health, Safa Sulaiman, Bekaa Regional Manager at the Ministry of Health, representatives of the Government of the Principality of Monaco, which financed the project, and a delegation from the Mérieux Foundation, which provided technical expertise.
The event also included a meeting with the center’s medical and social staff, and a presentation of its activities and strategies for further development in the region. The extension will enable the center to treat more patients and offer them more primary care programs.
Dr. Josette Najjar, Regional Manager for the Middle East and North Africa at the Mérieux Foundation, declared: “We have come here today, in the presence of Mr. Alain Mérieux, President of the Mérieux Foundation, to open the second part of the primary healthcare center at the Rachaya Public Hospital, which has been enlarged thanks to the Mérieux Foundation and the Principality of Monaco, as part of the development program for primary healthcare centers in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health and the Rachaya Public Hospital. We are delighted to welcome the member of parliament Wael Abou Faour, the representative of the Principality of Monaco, the representative of the Department for Primary Healthcare at the Ministry of Public Health, and all the employees and staff of this center, which currently treats over 1,200 patients per month.”
The next stage of the support will involve continuing to equip the center’s upper floor and carrying out new work in the basement to accommodate patients safely in compliance with primary healthcare standards.
This latest achievement is a continuation of the Mérieux Foundation’s projects in Lebanon, which aim to improve access to healthcare for the most vulnerable and isolated communities. The Foundation is able to draw on solid, recognized experience in strengthening primary health centers, which began in 2019 with the construction of the Douris center, built by the Foundation with financial support from the Department of International Cooperation of the Government of the Principality of Monaco, and now managed by Amel Association International. Projects to build or renovate centers in Ksara-Zahle and Baalbek-Hermel have since followed. Capitalizing on this expertise, the Mérieux Foundation is also rolling out a similar project in Senegal.
The visit to Lebanon also provided an opportunity for the President of the Mérieux Foundation to meet the country’s President and the Minister of Public Health to discuss the public health challenges facing the country and opportunities for the Foundation to provide support based on its expertise, particularly in strengthening laboratory capacity and supporting the primary health center.