Restoring Hope - the Ministry of Public Health in partnership with UNICEF and AFD inaugurate the renovated Quarantina University Public Hospital

Initiated in March 2021, the rehabilitation work has been driven by a collective commitment to re-establish access to essential quality health care services, particularly for vulnerable populations, with a special focus on mothers and children. Supported by France through AFD (2 million EUR), the hospital's newly constructed 4-floor building boasts a capacity of 100 beds, including 80 dedicated to mothers and children. It fosters a holistic approach to care, bridging the gap between community, primary, and secondary health services, ensuring that no one is left behind.

The Minister of Public Health, Dr. Firas Abiad said:”This hospital is not just a building, but today it is a symbol of renewal, resurrection, healing from wounds, and the triumph of hope over despair. The reconstruction of this hospital is the best way to honor the memory of those who have passed and to give hope to those who remain. The importance of this project lies in rebuilding institutions that serve the community and ensure access to high-quality health care for all without discrimination, especially the most vulnerable."

“Our support for this hospital is a proof of France's solid commitment to better access to quality health care in Lebanon, a fundamental and universal right that everyone should benefit from.” Said The first advisor at the French embassy in Lebanon, Mr. Jean François Guillaume “The construction, and renovation, of this state-of-the-art medical facility is the symbol of our commitment to equality between women and man, to protection of women's rights, and the preservation our children’s health, who are the future of this country.”

Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Representative in Lebanon, echoed, "Today, we reaffirm our solidarity through action. The Quarantina University Public Hospital has been a refuge for Lebanon's vulnerable populations, particularly children and newborns. Together, with the Ministry of Public Health, Hospital management, and our esteemed partners and donors, including France, AFD, Assameh Birth and Beyond, the Boutros family, Australia, Korea, Cyprus, Japan, and many others, we inaugurate this new building to provide care and accommodation to those most in need, especially during these challenging times."

Dr. Michel Matar, Board Director of the Quarantina University Public Hospital, said, "We dedicate the opening of the new hospital’s building, to the victims and survivors of the explosion, aiming in this event to prove to the whole world that in Lebanon the will to live is still stronger than death. All this would not have happened without the support of many international institutions and donor countries, led by France through AFD and UNICEF, without forgetting to thank Assameh B&B Organization for its immense and consistent support to the hospital."

The renewed Quarantina University Public Hospital is not just a new structure, but a lifeline to hope, healing, and a better future for all. Before the blast, it provided emergency care to 1,000 newborns and children annually. With its expanded capacity, the hospital will now serve approximately 500,000 individuals from vulnerable neighbourhoods in Beirut and its suburbs, including 150,000 children. This transformative change will enable up to 2,000 emergency hospitalizations for vulnerable new-borns and children and facilitate over 25,000 mother-child consultations per year.

Contacts: 

• UNICEF: Christoph Boulierac, Blanche Baz
• AFD : Lara Fahs