ReliefWeb

1 Summary

Lebanon opened its borders to approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees. The vast humanitarian needs of the refugees and the host population exceed the capacity of the Lebanese authorities and international support to date has not been sufficient. Humedica provides primary medical healthcare services in the Bekaa Valley, where approximately one third of some 500,000 refugees are living in informal tented settlements (ITSs).
The project consists of mobile medical units (MMUs) that treat acute diseases for one to two days a month in around 35 ITSs. As well as this, there is a midwife and a special case officer who looks after individual patients for further examination and treatment. Humedica also supports the health education measures and aid for chronically ill patients provided by partner organisation Medical Teams International (MIT) as well as a healthcare centre by providing medication and financing examinations.
The project meets the humanitarian requirements and the priorities of the main players in the region and is therefore seen as being relevant. This also applies for the deployment of mobile teams whose work it has not yet been possible to replace through healthcare centres.
The MMUs are to continue to be deployed where the need is greatest, also treating Lebanese patients.
The project is well on the way to reaching its objective, results, and indicators. The medical quality is high and acknowledged by other players. Because of this, the project is deemed to be effective. Humedica should continue the cooperation with MTI, ensuring that their respective efforts supplement and bolster one another.
The Humedica team works very systematically and is clearly organised and transparent in its activities.
The design of the project entails a certain amount of work. The team works systematically and towards a specific purpose. Owing to the high long-term workload, there is a risk of personnel dropping out and needing to be replaced. As the evaluation did not identify any significantly more efficient alternatives, the project is deemed to be efficient. Humedica aims to reduce the strain of the project team’s work and to make it more varied.
Humedica is an official partner in the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan and is active in coordination committees. The productive collaborative efforts are praised by the Ministry of Health, the UNHCR and partner organisations. Because of this, the coherence and coordination of the project can be seen as being positive. Humedica should increase the accountability towards patients and their participation, thereby improving appropriateness.
Increased support for healthcare centres and care for especially vulnerable Lebanese villages or population groups would improve the connectedness of the project in the medium term.