He said, “We are working to raise the level of protection and hope to eliminate the cholera problem and ensure protection for citizens’ health. We also take the opportunity to work on tackling the epidemic to improve the health situation in the regions, especially in suburbs”.
The Health Minister said: “Cholera cases in Baalbek-Hermel are still few, and this is good, but cholera must be seen not only as a crisis, but as an opportunity to shed light on reality and engage to improve it”. and ensure the necessary services to deal with any epidemic, and the measures we asked for were not limited to health institutions.” And hospitals and primary care centers, but rather the development of solutions for anything that would contribute to the spread of the epidemic.
He said, “In the first ministerial meeting on the cholera issue, when we asked President Mikati for our demands, we had two demands, support workers in the health sector and pay dues to municipalities so they can help us control a very widespread epidemic like cholera.”
He considered that “the first problem in tackling cholera is to guarantee safe water for citizens, and international organizations must assume their responsibilities and not reduce their services, because the repercussions of the Syrian displacement are among the causes of pollution of sources of water”.
He stressed that “international organizations have allocated 30 million euros to operate wastewater treatment plants and pump water from the beginning of next month, including the clean water project in the city of Arsal, and in matters of tanks, free chlorine has been supplied and laboratories have been equipped in the government hospital in Baalbek and 7 other hospitals.” Test the water of schools and municipalities for free.
He added: “Among the readiness measures, Dar Al-Amal University Hospital was the first hospital to have equipped a ward for cholera patients and is equipped with a refining station. And we are working to increase the readiness of the government of Baalbek Hospital, which was at the forefront of government hospitals in receiving and treating Corona patients.”
He continued: “Harbata and Arsal are in desperate need of two hospital projects, because the closest hospital to them is about 30 kilometers away, and there is difficulty in transporting patients in winter and snow, so the visit on the field to land earmarked for construction Harbata Hospital was intended to shed light on this vital project.”
He said: “We are also counting on the role of primary care centers who have made excellent efforts and have been able to play a good role in protecting communities from the Corona pandemic, in cooperation with municipalities, local associations and health authorities , therefore they must be provided with all the support, especially from international organizations”.
And he continued: «We have transferred part of the hospitalization funds to healthcare to the Ministry, because it is essential to guarantee prevention and, in addition to strengthening treatment centers and opening new centres, it is important to link them to some of the health councils in the regions to guarantee information accurate, determine responsibilities and follow-up”.
He regretted “failure to perform the tasks of the tour, and part of this failure is due to weak capabilities, while the other part is due to lack of will. We have the will and join forces to join forces to address the ‘epidemic.”
He concluded: “The first issue we will discuss with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, is the repercussion of the presence of displaced persons on host communities, and the need to support host communities for displaced persons”.
White’s speech came during his proactive tour to review logistical preparations and follow up on measures taken to limit the spread of “cholera” in Baalbek and Northern Bekaa, which included the designated site for the establishment of Harbta Hospital , and the center of the Union of Baalbek Municipalities, where he met the crisis cell and the president of the Union Shafiq Shehadeh and his deputy Jamal Abdel Sater, the president of the municipality of Muqna Fawaz Al-Miqdad, the deputy mayor of the Baalbek Municipality Mustafa Al-Shall, Majdloun Municipality Representative Yasser Khair El-Din and municipal figures then visited the Baalbek Government Hospital and concluded by inspecting the Baalbek Social Health Center.
The white minister was accompanied on the tour by the two deputies, Dr. Ali al-Miqdad and Yanal Solh, the head of the ministry’s hospitals and dispensaries department, Hisham Fawaz, the head of the health department in Baalbek district, Dr. Ali Subhi Hazima, the director of the Bekaa Directorate at the Islamic Health Authority, Abbas Muawiyah, the Bekaa health officer, Bilal Qataya and the representative of the health office of the “Amal” movement, Muhammad Muawiyah.
