Cologne/Beirut. In the presence of Carsten Körber, Member of the German Bundestag, Firas Abiad, Lebanese Minister of Health, and Erich Prinz von Lobkowicz, President of the German Order of Malta, a health centre on the outskirts of Beirut will be opened on Friday, 1st of April 2022.
During one year, the facility was renovated and enlarged under the leadership of the Order of Malta of Lebanon. Now around 500 patients can be treated daily. The expansion was financed with funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
"Poverty in Lebanon has increased extremely in the past two years. Around 75 per cent of the population now live in poverty. The reason for this is that multiple crises are colliding. The war in Ukraine, which is now also leading to rising prices for wheat, is exacerbating the situation. The state healthcare system has almost collapsed. Many people can no longer afford to be treated by a doctor. Most of the medical treatments will be offered free of charge in the extended health centre. We can provide people in need with a high level of medical care and thus strengthen the Lebanese health system," says Clemens Graf von Mirbach-Harff, Secretary General of Malteser International.
In the renovated and extended health centre, all medical specialities are covered and offered free of charge or for a symbolic fee.
In addition, the centre includes a central warehouse through which medicines are distributed to the various health facilities (stationary or mobile) of the Order of Malta.
The new construction of the health centre is part of a comprehensive project of Malteser International with the long-term goal to strengthen the resilience of the population as well as to improve the general health status of the people. This project is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Key dates of the inauguration ceremony
- The inauguration ceremony of the St. John Baptist Centre in Ain El Remmaneh (Greater Beirut) will take place on April 1st, 2022, at 3 pm.
- Present will be the Lebanese Minister of Health Firas Abiad, the Member of the German Bundestag Carsten Körber, the President of the German Order of Malta Erich Prinz von Lobkowicz and the Secretary General of Malteser International.
Attention editors:
Journalists are cordially invited to the opening and a tour of the health centre from 2.15 pm.
https://goo.gl/maps/gpCgxQtEUcGkFjVM6
Clemens Graf von Mirbach-Harff, Secretary General of Malteser International, is available for interviews and sound bites in Beirut.
Operator: +49 175 1908247, Louisa Strachwitz in Beirut
