The representation mission of Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) in Lebanon has made progress in supporting the emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic at Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon with funding from Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD).
In co-ordination with Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC), medical services and other needs are provided for those infected with the disease or financially affected by the crisis.
Up to now, 19,700 food baskets and 1,000 family hygiene kits have been distributed at Wavel (Beqaa), Ein El-Hilweh and Mieh ou Mieh (Sidon), Nahr El-Bared, Baalbek and Burj Barajneh, taking the overall number of beneficiaries at the Palestinian camps to 98,500, QRCS said in a statement.
The distributions of hygiene kits are part of PRCS’s community awareness programme, which involves regular sessions focusing on mothers, to educate them on how to sanitise the place and avoid the spread of infection. Also, there are door-to-door awareness visits to maximise the benefits of the hygiene kits.
For the benefit of medical professionals, 70 sets of personal protective equipment were procured to protect ambulance personnel, and similar sets were delivered for 10 medical centres serving camp residents. These include 3,365 N-95 masks, 2,776 face masks, 10,000 disposable gowns, 3,500 glove boxes, 1,040 overhead boxes, 3,040 overshoe boxes and 50 digital thermometers.
Two LRC ambulance vehicles assigned for the project are operating inside the camps in response to the increasing Covid-19 cases. This was recognised by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees as happening for the first time in the Ein El-Hilweh camp. A total of 150 cases have been transported during the period covered by the report. The delivery process is being finalised for the remaining medical equipment to support the isolation hospital.
In co-ordination with QFFD, QRCS’s mission is supervising all the project’s activities, together with PRCS and LRC, under a previously signed memorandum of understanding. Strict preventive measures are followed to ensure the safety of both the beneficiaries and distributors.
The project of coronavirus control in Palestinian refugee camps is aimed at mitigating the spread of the disease and minimising secondary health impacts by supporting health facilities to cope with the response to Covid-19 while ensuring that other health services are running.
Targets of the project are 10 health centres, one quarantine hospital and ambulances to be utilised in patient transportation for the duration of the project. Also, the vulnerable communities are given advice to protect themselves through essential hygiene practices.
Another aspect of the QFFD-funded project is to mitigate the adverse economic impact of the lockdown, by providing basic food assistance for 27,800 poor families in the Palestinian camps and communities in south (Rashidieh, Burj Shemali, El-Buss, Ein El-Hilweh, Mieh ou Mieh and Sahel), Beirut (Shatila, Burj Barajneh and Mar Elias), north (Beddawi and Nahr El-Bared) and Beqaa (Wavel Baalbek). The total number of beneficiaries is estimated at 139,400, including 8,430 people with special needs.
Distribution of food baskets.
