Lebanon has been facing a complex economic and financial crisis where inflation and depreciation of the Lebanese pounds (LBP) have significantly affected the people’s income and purchasing power and July 2023, annual inflation reached 252 per cent1. This situation has thrusted over 80 per cent of Lebanon’s population into the depths of multidimensional poverty 2 with 1.4 million individuals residing in the country experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.3 Additionally, more than 40 per cent of children and women suffer from anemia, while the prevalence of stunting is on the rise.4

The overlapping crises have also severely impacted availability and affordability of basic services including healthcare services. Lebanon's healthcare system is predominantly privatized, and while a public health system does exist, it remains frail and with limited capacity. Public services which were already struggling prior to the economic crisis are now reaching emergency thresholds and on the brink of collapse. While a large range of services including energy, education, water and healthcare have been traditionally provided by the private sector in Lebanon, the fallout of the economy has driven a large group of the population towards cheaper public options. However, due to neglect, and years of under-investment, public services are categorically inadequate to handle the dramatically increasing healthcare demands where 33 per cent of households 5 report being unable to access healthcare, and more than half of the population struggles to obtain essential medicines. These challenges extend beyond primary healthcare to encompass hospital care.

The situation has resulted in the inability of many individuals to afford even basic medical consultations, let alone preventive care measures. Many are resorting to humanitarian assistance to access health care. In MSF clinics in Hermel and Arsal for example, our teams have witnessed a staggering 67% surge in the number of chronic disease patients seeking care over the past four years.

Lebanon is facing this multi-layered crisis on top of a protracted refugee crisis that is closing into its thirteenth year now. 1.5 million Syrian refugees4, the world's highest per capita refugee population, and shelters 489,292 Palestinian refugees5 and 160,738 migrant workers6.

These vulnerable populations were already living in challenging conditions, and the crisis has only exacerbated their vulnerability. Most Syrian families now struggle to meet even their basic needs, with nine out of ten relying on humanitarian assistance simply to survive.