The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health inaugurated Karantina Rehabilitation Center. The centre is located at Beirut Public Hospital in Karantina and is the first of its kind in a public hospital in Lebanon.
The UNDP built and outfitted the centre with medical equipment to assist people with disability who have been disproportionately affected by the country's ongoing crisis particularly following the Beirut Blast, which left many people with physical and psychological difficulties.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 15% of Lebanon's population, or over 900,000 people have a disability, out of a total of 7 million people. However, only 10% of them have access to the healthcare services they need. This highlights the urgent need for rehabilitation centers like the one in Karantina, which will provide crucial services to those who have been left behind.
The Karantina Rehabilitation Center, which was fully funded by UNDP, is made up of 700 square meters of prefabricated, fully equipped clinics. Managed by the NGO ArcEnCiel, it will provide around 360 therapy sessions and 80 medical consultations per month free of charge. Those include physiotherapy, speech therapy, psychotherapy, early interventions, and other services to people with disability.
