Beiruting News

The Ministry of Public Health, under the patronage of H.E. Prime Minister Tammam Salam, launched today from the Grand Serail the first Primary Health Care (PHC) National Awareness Campaign. The conference was headed by Minister Wael Abou Faour and attended by representatives from the healthcare sector and campaign stakeholders: World Bank, WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR, EU, government and non-governmental (NGO) organizations, local authorities, representatives from municipalities and centers as well as social and media figures. Three main initiatives were revealed during the press conference: the Universal Health Coverage project supported by the World Bank, the accreditation results of centers that have achieved the survey with Accreditation Canada, and the launch of the PHC awareness campaign entitled ”Your Health is not a game”.

The Primary Health Care refers to the essential health care universally accessible to individuals and families in communities through their full participation and at a cost they can afford.  It is an approach to health beyond the traditional health care system that focuses on health equity and balanced use of resources. PHC is the basic structural and functional unit of the public health services provided by MoPH in collaboration with NGOs and municipalities to provide accessible, affordable and quality care services to all Lebanese population regardless of their ability to pay. The conference, moderated by Riwa Al Attrach, emphasized on the Lebanese public rights to a complete healthcare system encouraging them to visit any of the 214 PHC centers.

In line with its commitment at orchestrating national campaigns aimed at maintaining a healthy Lebanese society, Minister Wael Abou Faour stressed on the importance of having accessible accredited centers in all the Lebanese territory: “The Primary Health Care is a fundamental citizens right. The Ministry of Public Health, despite financial constraints, is keen on continuously improving the health sector by providing valuable services, reflecting therefore a national positive health indicator worthy of our country”.

The focus of the PHC centers is prevention and health maintenance, including basic curative care services, maternal and child health services, preventive services, and immunizations. Treatment of acute and chronic conditions is also provided, as well as referral to secondary and tertiary care when needed.

The Ministry’s efforts at adopting a unified mechanism to provide primary health care across the country have culminated in the current unique collaboration with NGOs and municipalities to operate more than 214 centers spread on all the Lebanese territory. PHC centers are under assessment by Accreditation Canada therefore adhering to primary health international standards. This process was initiated in 2008 and since then MoPH maintained a yearly process where we have so far 78 accredited PHCs while the others have completed the survey and waiting for results.

Campaign outreach

The nation-wide awareness campaign is set to run for the upcoming month, enabling Lebanese citizens to gain awareness on the services provided at PHC centers as well as their geographic locations. The campaign will be promoted through an awareness advertising campaign including TVC, print and radio. Last but not least, special thanks go for the ongoing support of the media and journalists who have been assisting this campaign with delivering and spreading the awareness message behind it.

In order to enhance awareness, the 1214 hotline will be available throughout the campaign phase to answer basic questions related to the campaign, and to direct patients to the nearest center.