WHO releases $2 million in emergency funds to Lebanon, Iraq and Syria

The World Health Organization said on Sunday it had released $2 million from its Contingency ​Fund for Emergencies (CFE) to support the ‌health response in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria amidst the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

The conflict has ​triggered a large-scale population movement, the WHO ​said last week, estimating that more than 100,000 ⁠people in Iran have relocated, and up ​to 700,000 people in Lebanon have been internally ​displaced.

$1 million has been allocated to Lebanon to strengthen the WHO’s emergency coordination through the Public Health Emergency ​Operations Centre, scale up trauma care, reinforce ​disease surveillance, and procure and distribute essential medicines and medical ‌supplies, ⁠the agency said in a statement.

Iraq and Syria have each been allocated $500,000 to support emergency coordination and mass-casualty management, procure and distribute ​essential medicines ​and supplies, ⁠provide health services for displaced populations, and strengthen disease surveillance and community ​outreach, it added.

“At a time when ​health ⁠services are already facing significant challenges, support is essential to sustain frontline health workers and ⁠maintain ​critical care services,” Hanan Balkhy, ​WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean said.