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Through the support of the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund, Taawon and UNRWA secure the sustainability of life-saving hospitalization for elderly Palestine refugees in Lebanon

Countries
Lebanon
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Sources
OCHA
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Publication date

3 February 2019
Beirut,

Taawon-Lebanon and The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) will be able to sustain their support towards the life- saving hospitalization for elderly Palestine refugees in Lebanon through the funding received from Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF) for 2019. UNRWA and Taawon through Health Care society (HCS), will partially cover the treatment and hospitalization to the cases reported to UNRWA’s Medical Hardship Fund in accordance with the policies of both programmes.

The “Life-saving hospitalization support to elderly Palestinian refugees in Lebanon” project, will target a particularly vulnerable sub-population within the Palestine refugee from Syria (PRS) and Palestine refugee in Lebanon (PRL) living in all Palestinian camps and gatherings in Lebanon. Specifically, it will target elderly individuals (over 60 years old) who are in need of support to cover their hospitalization fees. It will cover between 10 to 25% of the case of the treatment according to the total cost of the treatment.

Covering hospitalization expenses is vital to refugees since the majority don’t benefit from any kind of health insurance or coverage, and thus rely mainly on UNRWA’s support. More than two-thirds of Palestine refugees in Lebanon live below the poverty line, which means more than 100,000 Palestinian live on 6 dollars or less a day.

This collaboration embodies the common concerns shared by both parties to ensure continuity in providing coverage for critical medical cases among the elderly. It is an essential intervention amidst the constant rise in the cost of health aid which puts refugees’ lives in danger.

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About Taawon

Taawon – Lebanon is a non-profit independent institution. It was established in 1983 by a group of Palestinian businessmen and intellectuals in view of providing human development and support for Palestinians in the West Bank, including Jerusalem; the Gaza Strip; the 1948 territories and Palestine camps in Lebanon.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the UNRWA programme budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall. UNRWA encourages all Member States to work collectively to exert all possible efforts to fully fund the Agency’s programme budget. UNRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large shortfalls, are funded through separate funding portals.

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.4 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA across its five fields of operation. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.

For more information, please contact:
Hoda Samra
Senior Media and Communications Advisor- Lebanon
Mobile: + 961 81 666 134
h.samra@unrwa.org

Jihan Masri
Communication Officer – Taawon- Lebanon
Mobile: + 961 3 096316
masrij@taawon.org

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.