Many Health Needs of Syrian Refugees Not Being Met in Lebanon Due to UN Resource Cuts

By: Abbey Peyton
Produced & Edited by: Erica King

With the influx of Syrian refugees reaching almost two million in Lebanon, the country has been strained to provide the necessary resources for the new inhabitants. 

The UN has helped them to achieve that. With the recent influx of refugees heading into Germany, the UN has been stretched across countries and has therefore been forced to cut resources to Lebanon by 50%. These resources include medical and psychological services. 

Syrian refugees in Lebanon. | Photo cred: Wikimedia

These refugees are all living in less-than-desirable situations. 

Many are living between refugee camps, while others have been forced into public government buildings such as schools. 

Access to healthcare was provided through 60 contracted hospitals in Lebanon, and was available to 4,615 Syrian refugees, according to Inter-Agency Coordination Lebanon’s website.

There was a total of 3.3 million people in need of this care, 1,134,000 Syrians and 906,000 Lebanese. 

47.51% of refugee families in Lebanon has at least one family member suffering from chronic illness such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and bone and muscle problems, the unwra website reports. 

According to 67% of registered Syrian households in Lebanon were in need of adult healthcare, while there was only 59% of Lebanese households in need of healthcare.