3 June 2022 - WHO has been implementing a project in Roumieh Central Prison to improve access to health and mental health services, with financial support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beirut and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities.

During the project, more than 1800 inmates received a comprehensive health assessment, including health education, over 600 received mental health consultations and more than 150 received ophthalmology consultations, based on national protocols of care adapted to the prison context.

These services were provided by a recruited interdisciplinary team of nurses, social worker, physicians and a psychiatrist. WHO also addressed nutrition and worked with prison officials on adapting the prison menu for persons with chronic diseases.

Moreover, the medical clinics were renovated and medical equipment provided to the medical centre, based on the minimum list of equipment that should be available in a primary health care centre, including electrocardiograms, blood pressure machines, glucose testing machines and spirometers. This support comes in preparation for Roumieh medical centre being integrated in the Ministry of Public Health's primary health care network.

In addition, under the leadership of the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, and in collaboration with partners, WHO is supporting the development of electronic health records for inmates.

This comes at a time when the country is undergoing a severe socioeconomic crisis and the need to strengthen the resilience of the health care system is critical to ensure that “no one is left behind”