BEIRUT, LEBANON, October 29, 2020 — Dallas-based charity Baitulmaal, along with Chicago-based healthcare access organization MedGlobal, delivered medications to Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut last week to support 200 patients that were impacted by the August 4 explosion in Lebanon.
The medications are part of Baitulmaal’s $686,000 emergency aid package to Lebanon, which includes food, water, hygiene kits, and financial assistance to families in need, in addition to clean-up efforts initiated after the blast.
Dr. Firass Abiad, general manager of Rafik Hariri University Hospital, said the medications will help patients “who would have been unable to afford life-saving medications during the ongoing pandemic and economic crisis in Lebanon.”
Representatives from Baitulmaal were on the ground in Lebanon shortly after the blast to assess the damage, coordinate with local partners and implement emergency aid efforts.
“We saw people struggling to put the pieces back together in the midst of damage I could not imagine until I saw it with my own eyes,” said Mazen Mokthar, executive director of Baitulmaal. “Emergency aid like medicine will help hospitals treat the wounded while they repair their facilities and restore capacity.”
According to the World Health Organization, the blast that killed 203 people, injured 6,500 and left 300,000 homeless also severely damaged Lebanon’s critical health infrastructure and led to a shortage of medical supplies.
In addition to providing hospitals with medications, Baitulmaal will be launching its Rebuild Lebanon campaign to help reconstruct homes of vulnerable families ahead of the winter season. Part of this effort will also rebuild portions of hospitals that were destroyed. Mokhtar said donations for Lebanon can be made at baitulmaal.org/donate.
Baitulmaal is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides life-saving, life-sustaining and life-enriching aid to people in need around the world. With headquarters in Dallas, the charity has offices in Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit as well as international offices in Jordan, Kenya and Pakistan.
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