Lebanon | News | WHO launches Central Drug Warehouse reconstruction initiative

WHO launches Central Drug Warehouse reconstruction initiative

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reconstruction_cwh30 September 2020 – On 29 September WHO launched the reconstruction initiative to rebuild the Ministry of Public Health's Central Drug Warehouse in Qarantina, which was destroyed by the 4 August port blast.

Following the explosion in Beirut, WHO in coordination with UNICEF and the Ministry of Public Health, transferred all vaccines and medications to a private warehouse with cold chain facilities and to the Rafic Harriri University Hospital.

The initial plan prior to the explosion was to rehabilitate Block A of the warehouse and to upgrade its storage capacity and refrigeration component.

The current plan includes full reconstruction of the warehouse, doubling the storage capacity to 2000 m2, as well as modernizing the storage and distribution modality of the warehouse. UNICEF will provide cold chain equipment comprising 6 refrigeration rooms and a solar power system for additional electrical power.

“Today we launched the masterplan to rebuild the central warehouse with an additional 1000 m2 capacity. The warehouse serves a large segment of the population. It will be equipped according to international standards and will adhere to WHO’s good storage practices,” said Dr Iman Shankiti, WHO Representative in Lebanon.

The reconstruction will be carried out under the supervision of WHO with funds from the Government of Japan, the State of Kuwait and WHO direct funding. The project will take 6 to 8 months to complete.