World Bank Deploys US$40 Million in Emergency Response to Help Lebanon Face The Coronavirus Outbreak
02 April 2020
- In a swift response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Lebanon, the World Bank approved on March 12 the re-allocation of US$40 million under the current Health Resilience Project (US$120 million) to strengthen the Ministry of Public Health’s capacity to respond to the crisis by equipping governmental hospitals and increasing their ability to test and treat suspected cases.
- With the signing of contracts with two UN agencies concluded, fast-track procurement of critically-needed medical equipment and supplies is already underway.
"This outbreak comes at a time when Lebanon’s economy is already going through the worst economic crisis in recent history and the Government of Lebanon has limited resources to respond," said Saroj Kumar Jha, World Bank Mashreq Regional Director. "The World Bank stands ready to support Lebanon’s efforts to contain the rapid spread of the virus and help the Lebanese people in these particularly challenging times."
The COVID-19 outbreak is stressing an already strained health sector and setting back Lebanon’s efforts in its fight against poverty. There are concerns that the outbreak will particularly hit the poor and the refugee population. The Government of Lebanon (GoL) has already taken several steps to mitigate the impact of the epidemic. It has prepared a COVID-19 Health Sector Response Plan, mobilized resources to equip additional public hospitals with critically-needed medical equipment, and strengthened risk communication to the population. Despite these efforts, the unmet needs are immense, and Lebanon is under-equipped to respond to such a global pandemic.
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