World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean
WHO Country Office in Lebanon

WHO Collaborative Programme

Nursing and Paramedical Resources

CAPACITY BUILDING NURSING CENTER IN EL-KHIAM

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The Capacity Building Nursing Center in El-Khiam South Lebanon aims at correcting the deficiency in the number of nurses in the health care infrastructure in South Lebanon.

While the need to strengthen and develop all aspects of health services in South Lebanon is essential, the training of particular categories of health workers is considered a priority. The project started the first year by training nurses, to have the potential to be extended and/or amended by adding other training activities to include the training of laboratory technicians, paramedics and other health care personnel.

WHO has had a long-standing Memorandum of Understanding with AMAR from the early stages of the project. Dr. Gabriel Rifka senior advisor to the WHO Representative in Lebanon was appointed as project coordinator. WHO/EMRO is very interested in this project and their support is in the form of experts and consultant trainers, and specific curricula for the training courses.

The Government of Lebanon has already invited AMAR to work in Lebanon in 1996-1997 after the “Grapes of Wrath” operation in South Lebanon and showed the will to be partner of this project as well. Partnership with the Lebanese Authorities helped reducing the costs by providing accommodation for the project. During 2002, with the support of H.E. Dr. Karam Karam, Minister of Tourism, part of a health center built five years ago in El-Khiam funded from the Kuwaiti fund was allocated to accommodate the training center. Assistance from the MOH was provided by supplying the center with electricity and water in coordination with the El-Khiam municipality which helped in installing the required network and cleaning the surroundings of the center. A local manager for the center and a secretary were recruited starting July 2002. All supplies including basic furniture, stationary, and computer were delivered during the months of August and September 2002.

Group photo of the students and trainers in front of the El-Khiam center with the WR Dr. Latiri in the middle

The training started in October 2002 with a final number of forty students, some from El-Khiam and others from neighboring villages like Hasbaya, Ain Kanya, Chwaya, Mimess, Kfarkela, and Al-Tibeh. Only the trainers with good qualifications were selected from El-Khiam.

The training center is currently the only nursing center in the liberated area.

AGFUND decided to extend a grant of USD 250,000 to WHO to finance the project components including personnel and trainers, training activities, renovation, supplies and training material, and others.