The deadly warehouse blast in Beirut this week devastated Lebanon’s already faltering healthcare system and U.N. agencies are scrambling to support hundreds of thousands of people, officials said on Friday, Trend reports via Reuters.
The United Nations announced an additional $6 million in funding for its response - taken from its Central Emergency Response Fund - which comes on top of $9 million it released from the U.N. Lebanese Humanitarian Fund.
Tuesday’s explosion fully or partially damaged five hospitals and removed 500 beds of capacity, a World Health Organization spokesman told a U.N. briefing.
Tonnes of personal protection equipment used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have also been destroyed just as infections in the country surge.
“The already weak health system in Lebanon due to the refugee crisis, to COVID, the economic and political crisis and the lack of personal protective equipment for health workers is a huge issue,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said.