30 May 2022 – Since June 2020, financing from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) via the German Development Bank (KfW) has enabled WHO to implement various measures in the health system. Such measures include providing direct support to 12 public hospitals to strengthen their intensive care wards in terms of medical staffing and procurement of medical equipment, as well as reimbursement of hospital admission to patients with severe COVID-19 in private and public hospitals to ensure timely access to care. 

This allowed WHO to provide intensive care for more than 4800 patients with severe COVID-19 and to reimburse the costs of in-hospital care for 1250 COVID-19 patients. WHO is also providing support to strengthen the COVID-19 early detection and referral system. 

In March 2022, WHO started supporting the operational costs of COVID-19 vaccination in hospital-based centres. So far, support has been initiated for 32 centres and is expected to increase.

On 25 May 2022, a delegation from Germany, including senior officers from BMZ, the German Embassy in Beirut, KfW, and GIZ accompanied by the WHO country office team visited Baabda Governmental Hospital. During the visit, the delegation engaged in informal discussions with hospital management and staff and reviewed COVID-19 and vaccination measures being implemented under this support. This project is expected to continue until the end of December 2022, with the possibility to extend until May 2023.