Lebanon: MSF providing medical and mental health care amid latest escalation
27 September 2024
Following the widescale Israeli bombings of multiple areas in Lebanon on Monday 23 September, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is gradually stepping up its response to the escalating humanitarian needs by delivering primary healthcare and essential relief items to the displaced population.
MSF mobile clinics visited two locations in Mount Lebanon where displaced people have taken shelter. Our teams are providing medical and mental health consultations. They have donated essential items including mattresses, blankets, and hygiene kits to displaced people in eight sites in Saida and Tripoli. We are actively assessing the needs to scale up support.
“On Monday morning at 6:30am, we woke up to hysterical strikes against mountains and valleys, shelling villages from Baalbeck to Hermel. Children woke up frightened, and people went outside.
All we could hear was the sound of ambulance sirens. We saw smoke with each strike, and the bombardment was very close to houses. My work colleagues left their homes in Hermel, Al-Ain and Laboueh, and took refuge in schools or uncovered houses out of fear,” says Maram, a Health Promotion Supervisor with MSF in Lebanon.
On September 26, MSF reopened our clinic in Baalbek-Hermel to provide patients with much-needed medications for their chronic conditions. Simultaneously, our mental health helplines are receiving over 60 calls a day from people experiencing rising mental health needs.
According to Lebanon's disaster risk management unit, over 104,000 people have been displaced by the latest ongoing escalation. Many have lost homes and loved ones. In addition to medical support, people need basic supplies like mattresses and hygiene products.
“The strikes in the Northern Bekaa have not stopped for three days now and the sounds of drones and jets never leave us. With every strike, people are losing their lives, including children."
"The future is unknown and deciding what to do is very difficult. Everyone seeks safety for their families and children,” says Maram.
MSF is gravely concerned about Israel’s bombing campaign in Lebanon, much of which is taking place in densely populated urban areas. We call for the immediate de-escalation of hostilities to prevent further suffering, injury, and loss of life.