Improving diagnostics and surveillance
The Mérieux Foundation is helping Lebanon to strengthen its diagnostic capacity, particularly for infectious diseases. The Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory of Beirut, built in 2011 within Saint-Joseph University, has been designated the national reference laboratory for tuberculosis.
We support the diagnostic and research activities of the national tuberculosis control program (PNLT) in Lebanon to ensure patient care, despite the growing deterioration of the country’s health infrastructure. The aim is to ensure that diagnostic and research activities can continue by supporting equipment maintenance, the logistical management of samples, and the accessibility of screening centers.
At the same time, the Foundation is helping the public health ministry to draw up a national laboratory policy, by contributing its expertise in laboratory management. This support in terms of governance makes it possible to coordinate initiatives at national level and upgrade laboratory skills to improve diagnostics and the monitoring of diseases and antimicrobial resistance.
Advancing public health
The Mérieux Foundation is helping to advance public health in Lebanon by supporting applied research and the development of local skills.
Through the GABRIEL network, we encourage partner laboratories to open up to Lebanese and international researchers. We support the development of applied research activities in close collaboration with several partners on a number of research themes that are priorities for the region.
Tuberculosis
The Mérieux Foundation supports the activities of the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory of Beirut, the designated national reference laboratory for tuberculosis.
We are also working closely with the Lebanese national tuberculosis program to support diagnostic and research activities, so that tuberculosis patients and their families can continue to receive care. At the same time, the Foundation directly supports the operational and strategic aspects of the program.
The Mérieux Foundation’s team has also been asked by the World Health Organization to contribute to a background report on
Support for global health
The Mérieux Foundation is working in Lebanon to improve access to healthcare for vulnerable populations, and particularly women, children, and displaced families. In fragile political and social contexts, we work with local partners to develop projects based on a global health approach, improving the living conditions of these populations in a sustainable way.
In Douris, in the Beqaa plain, we helped build a primary healthcare center run by the Amel Association NGO, with the support of the Monaco government’s Department of International Cooperation. The center offers high-quality perinatal, pediatric, and mental healthcare, and welcomes host and refugee communities alike in a region where access to health infrastructure remains limited.
Following on from this successful experience, we have started building a second center in the country and will be able to replicate the model in other countries where we operate.
