Aisha, who suffers from multiple chronic diseases, receives her monthly treatment at the Makassed primary care center in Mousseitbeh. (Credit: Marie Jo Sader/OLJ)
In a country where people are as attached to the brand of their medicine as that of their car, getting generic drugs from a state-run primary healthcare center is a rare occurrence. This mentality, however, seems to have gradually changed with the unprecedented economic crisis plaguing Lebanon.
A stone’s throw from the Saeb Salam Palace in Beirut’s Msaytbeh neighborhood, the Makassed healthcare center welcomes an increasing number of Lebanese patients who no longer dare enter pharmacies to purchase their medicines, which have become prohibitively expensive with the partial removal of subsidies on medical products.
Accompanied by her husband, Aisha, a 50-something-year-old woman, waits in front of the counter at the entrance for the nurse who provides her with her monthly medicines.
“These are the drugs for the heart, cholesterol, thyroid. There are also several anticoagulants,” Aisha says as she shows the boxes the young woman gave her.
“I paid LL8,000. Before that, I had a full medical check-up: EKG, blood and urine test, x-ray of the lungs and kidneys. All for LL3,000,” she adds gratefully.
“It’s nothing, it’s a symbolic sum,” her husband adds, seemingly slightly embarrassed.
Three months ago, Aisha, who suffers from multiple health problems, considered stopping her treatment because she could no longer afford paying for her medicines.
She learned of the center from acquaintances of her husband, who himself has been unemployed for some time.
Strictly speaking, the Makassed center does not sell drugs. Unlike in drugstores, patients cannot walk in to buy medicines at a low price.
Like the 246 other primary healthcare centers spread throughout the country, the center provides various healthcare services (general medicine, gynecology, dentist, mental health, etc.) with a consultation cost of less than LL20,000. The center is also authorized to provide medicine on a monthly basis for people who have previously registered to benefit from them, mostly for chronic diseases like diabetes, cholesterol and depression.
The procedure is simple. After making an appointment, patients, regardless of their nationality or income, can show up at the closest center to their place of residence with a prescription certifying that they require medical treatment.
The patients are examined by a doctor from the center, and a file is then opened making them eligible for the program, which is jointly supported by the Health Ministry and the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA).
YMCA is the main supplier of chronic diseases generic drugs in these primary healthcare centers, according to a list put forward and regularly updated by the World Health Organization.
While these programs were originally funded primarily by the Health Ministry, they have become supported by international organizations such as the European Union, the WHO and other United Nations agencies.
‘They thought it was for the poor’
In front of a select committee of journalists including from L’Orient-Le Jour, Health Minister Firass Abiad said recently that he regretted the fact that not many Lebanese patients turn to dedicated primary healthcare centers.
“Only 350,000 people use these centers, and many of them are not Lebanese. Where are the rest of the Lebanese who are struggling?” Abiad said.
The incentive campaigns that were launched under the previous government are starting to bear fruit.
In the Makassed center of Msaytbeh, there are now 500 people, only 13 of them Syrians, who are registered on the list of beneficiaries of chronic medication, compared to 130 in June.
That morning, Ahmad, a resident of the neighborhood, came to get his medicine from the center’s pharmacy. The young man in his mid-20s is battling severe depression with antidepressants and therapy provided at the center as well.
“When I first had depression, I refused help at the beginning, but my relatives were there for me and encouraged me [to seek professional help]. I have been coming to the center for four months now. I have weekly follow ups and I get my medication without paying anything,” Ahmad says with a reserved voice and a polite smile.
Demand for psychological assistance has greatly increased in the country, especially after the 2020 Beirut port explosion, prompting the Makassed association to open new reception centers dedicated to mental health.
Since the beginning of the year, a total of 4,430 Lebanese citizens, counting all types of consultations, have been treated at the center, compared to only 1,200 patients in 2020.
At the main counter, Walid, a resident of Ain al-Rummaneh, makes a first appointment for a consultation.
While some healthcare centers remain meticulous in sorting patients, the Makassed center in Msaytbeh has since the onset of the crisis stopped taking geographic areas into account when accepting patients. Everyone gets consultations without distinction.
“It was a friend who advised me to come here. I knew these centers existed, but I used to go to a private doctor. But today, I can no longer afford the smallest consultation. I am really relieved to be able to come here instead,” says the young father who also learns that he can get his medication at a very reduced price.
“We didn't have so many people coming in before. They did not need us. They believed we were there for the poor,” Hiba Alaf, a pediatrician in the center, tells L’Orient-Le Jour, as people line up for the vaccinations of children, many of them Syrians.
“They come for the medical consultation, which is for LL3,000, for the free vaccinations and, more recently, for the medications,” adds the overwhelmed pediatrician.
Alaf’s workload has tripled since the crisis started. Besides her private practice, she works twice a week at the center which is run by the Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association of Beirut, and every day at Dar al-Fatwa, where demand for medications has skyrocketed recently, she says.
“After all, we have all the specializations and treatments here. My colleagues in France tell me that no one prescribes Augmentin (an antibiotic) there, but only its generic [version],” she adds, referring to the Lebanese’s reluctance to use a generic substitute for the brand initially prescribed by their doctor.
‘Don’t tell that I come to your center’
Cultural barriers in the country are in fact found at several levels. Preconceptions about generic medications, which are actually identical to brand name drugs, are sometimes difficult to deconstruct.
“I am saddened that we have been put in this dire situation and that I have to find a substitute for my basic medicine. My doctor prescribed a specific brand for me. I shouldn’t take anything else. In addition, I feel the side effect of the generic. It raises my blood pressure. But at the end of the day, there’s nothing I can do about it,” Aisha laments.
The fondness for private medicine remains strong in the land of the Cedars, with primary healthcare centers often being associated with the badly off.
“The other day, a woman called and said, ‘We can’t find the drugs we need in pharmacies, but we are not used to going to dispensaries.’ I told her that first we were not a dispensary but a healthcare center and that if she lived in Canada, for example, she would have to go through these centers to get her medical treatment, no matter who she was. She was finally convinced, and her husband is now one of our beneficiaries,” says Salam Hawwari, a registered nurse at the Makassed center.
“Many people are in need, but they continue to be a little ashamed. Recently, a woman came up to me and said, ‘Please, don’t tell so-and-so that I come to your center.’ I replied that we have a duty of confidentiality and that there was nothing to be ashamed of,” Hawwari adds.
For the employees working in these institutions, most of which are managed by associations or municipalities, there is no shortage of anecdotes. Sometimes, they find themselves having to tolerate comments tinged with arrogance.
At the Chiyah municipal primary healthcare center, the number of beneficiaries of chronic disease medication recently jumped from 200 to 400, according to Marie-Therese Nehme, a nurse at the center.
“Sometimes, patients tell me almost reproachfully, ‘If we could, we wouldn’t come here.’ Well, if they don’t like it, they can just stop coming,” she says with a note of exasperation.
The Chiyah municipal center for primary health care created in 2014 and managed by the municipality. (Credit: Marie Jo Sader/OLJ)
“Others think they are in a commercial pharmacy. They hand out their prescriptions and demand drugs on the spot. When I remind them that they must have a file first, they thank me and walk out,” she adds.
Meanwhile, Therese, a woman in her 70s from Ain al-Rummaneh, is more than happy to get her medication at a primary healthcare center.
“Am I embarrassed? Not at all. I’m saving millions of lira, you hear, millions. How else could I have done it? The gastric protection drug alone costs LL300,000 in pharmacies. I’m telling you, I’ve seen many people coming here for years, some with their jewels on, just to save a few pounds. These are the people who are taking the place of others,” says Therese, who has been visiting the center for five years.
Marie-Thérèse Nehmé, nurse in charge of the pharmacy at the Chiyah center. (Credit: Marie Jo Sader/OLJ)
‘They should be financially supported and promoted’
Given the scale of the crisis — more than 80 percent of households in Lebanon live now in "multidimensional poverty," according to ESCWA — the number of people turning to primary healthcare centers is likely to increase.
The pertinent question, however, is will these centers be able to absorb the high demand for medication? Notably, each center is supplied with medicines based on the needs of its list of registered beneficiaries.
Every month, the center-affiliated pharmacies make an order of the necessary medicines for their registered patients from the Health Ministry, the YMCA and the International Medical Corps (IMC), another provider of the Makassed centers.
“Every month, we register the medications we are missing. And of course, the more people we have, the more we order. So far, we never run short of medicines,” Hyam Anoti, a nurse who runs the Makassed pharmacy in Msaytbeh, tells L’Orient-Le Jour.
To avoid any abuse of the program, a shared computer system makes it possible to identify whether a patient is registered in two different centers.
"The YMCA flags cases of patients who are already benefiting from medication elsewhere. In this case, the patient is informed and if they wish to continue to stay with our center, they must obtain a letter certifying they no longer benefit from the services of the other [center]. Anyway, patients are systematically asked if they were not registered elsewhere. But only a few admit it,” Nehme of the Chiyah center says.
Lebanon’s centers, however, do not have all the medications necessary to treat all types of illnesses. They only offer medicines for common and chronic diseases. Treatments for rare diseases and cancer are not available.
Some patients are still forced to tour commercial pharmacies in search of their medicines or to order them from abroad due to the crippling drug shortages in the country.
“Certainly, [primary healthcare centers] cannot provide all treatments, but they still offer 60 medications for chronic diseases, and 60 for other medical conditions. These constitute the bulk of drugs, according to WHO criteria,” Dr. Ali el-Zein, who heads the Family and Medical Guidance Center in Tayyouneh tells L’Orient-Le Jour.
“In Lebanon, there are between 4,000 and 5,000 medicine brands on the market, which is not normal. It’s not something you see anywhere else. For example, there are about 10 kinds of Augmentin. All this variety is useless,” he adds.
Undoubtedly, mindsets will have to change in this country which has thus far allocated 8 percent of its GDP to health expenditures, almost rivaling the rate of the United Arab Emirates.
“Primary healthcare centers can play a pivotal role in these difficult times to provide care to the Lebanese. But they need to be provided with additional medications, financial support. More centers need to be inaugurated (many of them being saturated). They also must be promoted,” Dr. Zein says.
While more and more patients turn to the centers, a portion of the population remains unaware that they can benefit from their medical treatments.
Thirty meters from the Makassed center in Msaytbeh, Tarek*, a grocer, who hasn’t seen a customer in his shop since the morning, had no idea that he could get medicines from the center.
Tarek is thrilled to learn about it. He had been taking his blood pressure medication every other day, contrary to his doctor’s prescription, in a bid to save it.
His neighbor, Karim*, a butcher, whose shop is plunged into darkness, is much more difficult to convince of the benefits he can get at the centers.
“Please, leave me alone. These are just words,” he says as he washes his hands without even bothering to look up.
*Names have been changed.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour. Translation by Sahar Ghoussoub.
Here is the list of centers:
Beirut
- Karantina PHC Center (Karantina) 01/442105
- Beirut Development Association Center (Karantina) 01/574157
- Saint Antoine Health Center (Ashrafieh) 01/442937
- Herj Health Center 01/633762 (Al-Herj)
- Bachoura Health Center 01/664368; 01/636763 (Bashoura)
- El-Zarif Medical Center (Zarif and Zidaniyah) 01/736088
- Mother and Child Care Association Health Center (Tallet el-Khayat) 01/795589
- Dar el-Fatwa Health Center (Ibn Reched Street) 01/797400
- Khatam El-Anbia Health Center (Nouairi) 01/663631
- Makhzoumi Medical Center (Mazraa) 01/660894; 01/660890
- AUB Family Medicine Center (Ras Beirut) 01/350000 ext. 3025
- Al-Zahra' Health Center for Primary Health Care (Zokak el-Blatt) 01/366856
- Makassed Medical and Social Center in Msaytbeh (Msaytbeh) 01/316920
- Primary Health Care Center at St. George's University Hospital (Ashrafieh) 01/582560
- Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family Center (Ashrafieh) 01/566955
Baabda
- Ghobeiri Municipal Center for Primary Health Care (Ghobeiri) 01/270034
- Haret Hreik Center for Primary Health Care (Haret Hreik) 01/276181
- Ras el-Metn Medical Center (Ras el-Metn) 05/380352
- Amel Health Center for Primary Health Care (Baajour district) 01/273426
- Bent el-Hoda Lebanese Health Association Center (Sabra, Farhat neighborhood) 01/838284
- Ain al-Rummaneh Medical and Social Center (Chiyah, St. George Street) 01/559986
- Lebanese Red Cross Center (Chiyah) 01/558803
- Chiyah Municipal Center for Primary Health Care (Chiyah) 01/390051
- Chiyah Development Services Center for Primary Health Care 01/274614
- Al-Kayan Medical Center (Chiyah) 01/454006
- Dar el-Haoura' Center (Bir Abed) 01/544889
- Burj al-Barajneh Municipal Center (Burj al-Barajneh) 01/472933
- Burj al-Barajneh Medical and Social Center (Burj al-Barajneh) 01/469115
- Lebanese University Health Center (Hadath) 05/470983
- Yaduna Association Health Center (Baabda) 05/923209
- Al-Hoda Association Health Center (Abbadiye) 05/553357
- Primary Health Care Center at Rafic Hariri Univerity Hospital (Bir Hassan) 01/832900, 01/832902, 01/832909
- Center of the Health Department of Tariq al-Jadideh - Rafic Hariri association (Tariq al-Jadideh) 01/855595
- Family Care Center (Mreijeh) 01/476523
- Hazmieh Municipal Center for Primary Health Care (Hazmieh) 05/454153
- Ghobeiri Medical and Social Center 01/273953, 01/273908
- Tayyouneh Family and Medical Referral Center 01/395393
Metn
- St. Anthony Center (Beit Mery) 04/872063
- Boulghourjian Medical and Social Center (Bourj Hammoud) 01/253793 ext. 6, 01/253796
- Karagheusian Center for Children's Care (Burj Hammoud) 01/263030
- St. Anthony Center (Jdeideh) 01/900996
- Fanar Medical and Social Center (Zaaitriye) 01/684362
- Jdeide Municipal Center (Sadd al Boushrieh) 01/873369
- Wadih Hajj Health Center (Baskinta) 04/288660
- Mar Sassine Center for Primary Health Care (Baskinta) 04/288655
- Dhour Choueir Primary Health Care Center (Dhour Choueir) 04/390262
Chouf
- Primary Health Care Center at Chehim Government Hospital (Shehim) 07/241784
- Al-Iqlim Center for Primary Health Care (Shehim) 07/242797
- Barja Health Center (Barja) 07/623129
- Ktar Maya Health Center for Primary Health Care (Ktar Maya) 07/971984
- Kfar Heem Primary Health Care Center (Kfar Heem) 05/720561
- Beiteddine Health Center (Beiteddine) 05/509001 ext. 2002
- Barouk Health Center (Barouk) 05/241018
- Beit Baaqlin Health Center (Baaqlin) 05/304081; 05/300827
- Khreibet el-Shouf Center for Primary Health Care (Khreibeh) 05/310394
- Lebanese Child Care Center (Niha) 05/330253
- Jbaa Center for Primary Health Care (Jbaa) 05/330949
Aley
- Choueifat Center for Primary Health Care (Choueifat) 05/431551
- Imam Sadek Health Center (Choueifat) 76/803142
- Sofar Medical and Social Center (Sofar) 05/292330
- Imam al-Rida Health Center (Hay al Sellom-Aley) 05/488070
- Development Services Center (Hay al Sellom - Aley) 05/480334
- Kfarmatta Medical and Social Center (Kfarmatta) 05/210750
- Abey Social and Medical Center (Abey) 05/210485
- Aramoun Health Center (Aramoun) 76/836248
- Majdlaya Health Center (Majdlaya) 05/571720
- Al-Wafa' Center for Primary Health Care (Dohat Aramoun) 71/558884
- Aley Center for Medical Care (Aley) 05/553025
- Raya Center for Primary Health Care (Khaldeh) 05/806106
- Aley Medical and Social Center (Aley, Hadadine Street) 05/557918
Kesrouan
- Ghadir Medical and Social Center (Ghadir) 09/901700
- Ballouneh Medical and Social Center (Ballouneh) 09/230377
- Al-Arz Medical Center (Zouk Mikaël) 09/225490, 09/218343, 09/226851
- Zouk Mikaël Medical and Social Center (Zouk Mikaël) 09/211655
- Hrajel Center for Primary Health Care (Hrajel) 09/322460
Jbeil
- Mechmech Charitable Center for Primary Health Care (Mechmech) 09/760930
- Jbeil Medical Department Center for Primary Health Care (Jbeil) 09/540218
Tripoli
- Al-Zahra' Medical Center (Jabal Mohsen) 06/380344
- Al-Iman Center (Mina) 06/211770
- Ibn Sina Medical and Social Center (Tell) 06/431120
- Al-Khairi Charitable Center for Primary Health Care (Nour Square) 06/430089
- Al-Makarem Center (Nour Square) 06/426322
- Azm and Saada Center for Primary Health Care (Hadaddine) 06/432100
- Al-Rahma Medical Center for Primary Health Care (Tabbaneh) 06/380283
- Al-Ikhlass Center for Primary Health Care (Bab al Tabbaneh) 06/394610
- Primary Health Care Center at Tripoli Government Hospital (Qibbeh) 06/385371
- Qalamoun Center for Primary Health Care (Qalamoun) 06/401500
- Al-Rahma Charitable Center (Qalamoun) 06/401810
- Al-Zahiriya Center for Primary Health Care (Al-Zahiriya) 06/432100
- Al-Bashir Medical Center for Primary Health Care (Abi Samra) 06/428037
- Medical Relief Center for Primary Health Care (Abi Samra, Chirah Street) 06/440520
Zgharta
- Jihan Frangi Center for Development Services (Zgharta) 06/660454
- Al-Khaldiye Medical and Social Center (Al-Khaldiyeh) 06/662040
- Miziara Center for Primary Health Care (Miziara) 06/570541
- Rene Mouawad Center for Primary Health Care (Zgharta) 06/660911
- Miriata Kadiriyé Municipal Center (Miriata) 06/255544
Bsharri
- Hasroun Charitable Center (Hasroun) 06/590032
- Al-Arz Medical Center (Qnat) 06/977230
- Bashir and Amira el-Khoury Merhi Medical Center for Primary Health Care (Hadchit) 06/645643
Batroun
- Primary Health Care Center at Tannourine Government Hospital (Tannourine) 06/520555
Minyeh-Dinnieh
- Minyeh Health Center for Primary Health Care (Minyeh) 06/461981
- Deir Ammar Municipal Center for Primary Health Care (Deir Ammar-Dinnieh) 06/461411
- Development Services Center (Bakhoun) 06/242012
- Al-Iman Medical Center (Btermaz) 06/494149
- Al-Iman Medical Center (Sir al-Dinnieh) 06/490149
- Al-Nahda al-Ijtimayia Association Center (Minyeh - Hay Blat) 06/463481
- Center of al-Nahda al-Ijtimayia Association (Beddawi) 06/387755
- Al-Hanan Medical Center (Minyeh - Hay el-Hakar) 06/462875
- Kfar Bebnine Health Center (Kfar Bebnine) 06/265210
Koura
- Kousba Medical Center (Kousba) 06/511900
- Behbouche Medical and Social Center (Behbouche) 06/950344
- Al-Najda al-Chaabiya Center (Kfar Saroun) 06/651088
- Didde Center for Primary Health Care (Didde) 06/405338
Akkar
- Qobeiyat Medical and Social Center (Qobeiyat) 06/350214
- St. Paul Center (Sheikh Taba) 06/691507
- Machha Health Center for Primary Health Care (Machha) 06/690676
- Makassed Government Health Center (al-Hisha - Wadi Khaled) 06/870197
- Municipal Center for Mother and Child Care (Meshmesh) 06/896155
- Al-Iman Medical Center (Bibnine) 06/471303
- Al-Najda al-Shaabiya Center (Halba) 06/691600
- Talmayan Center for Primary Health Care (Talmayan) 06/810499
- Fnaydek Center for Primary Health Care (Fneideq) 06/895440
- Center for Medical Guidance (Berkayel) 06/370047
- Al-Arassina Center for Primary Health Care (Wadi Khaled) 06/870110
- Al-Jdaida Club Health Center (Jdaida) 06/695551
- Halba Health Center (Halba) 06/695589
- Kfartoun Health Center (Kfartoun) 03/545733
- Al-Habtour Health Center (Hrar) 06/865065
- Akkar Atika Health Center (Akkar Atika) 06/886053
- Mashta Hassan Medical Center (Mashta Hassan) 06/800561, 06/800562
- Bireh Medical and Social Center (Bireh) 06/830664
- Fared Charitable Center for Primary Health Care (Fared) 06/870016
- Tekrit Charitable Center for Primary Health Care (Takrit) 06/361319
- Al-Lijan lil Moutabaa Association Center (Khreibeh) 06/696032
- Salemtak Association Center for Primary Health Care (Tell Hayat) 06/876143
- Health Development Center for Primary Health Care (Khreibet al-Jendi) 06/696966, 06/696223
- Al-Najat Medical Center (Wadi Jamous) 06/471283
- Al-Amir Medical Center (Berkayel) 06/371037
Zahle
- Imam Hussein Center (Jlala) 08/508484
- Ain Kfarzabad Health Center (Ain Kfarzabad) 08/925790
- Al-Farouk Health Center (Saadnayel) 08/505322
- Qubb Elias Center for Primary Health Care (Qubb Elias) 08/500688
- Torbol Health Center (Torbol) 08/955688
- Bar Elias Health Center (Bar Elias) 08/510018
- Development Services Center (Zahle - Hoch al-Oumara) 08/815100
- Rafik Hariri Medical Center (Taanayel) 08/513321
- Al-Kiama Health Center (Hoch Hala) 08/900750
- Ali Nahri Health Center for Primary Health Care (Ali Nahri) 08/920944
- Saint Francis Center for Primary Health Care (Zahle) 08/808991
- Al-Faour Medical and Social Center (Faour) 08/955307
- Saouaed al-Amal Center for Primary Health Care (Faour) 03/001358
Rachaya
- Lebanese Red Cross Center (Rashaya) 08/591101
- Al-Abrar Medical Center (Azza) 08/563207
- Primary Health Care Center at Rachaya Government Hospital (Rashaya) 08/591505
- Al-Inaya Medical Center for Primary Health Care (Kherbet Rouha) 01/055576
West Bekaa
- Machghara Center for Primary Health care (Machghara) 08/651125
- Lebanese Association Center for Primary Health Care (Sohmor) 08/635656
- Ghaza Health Center for Primary Health Care (Ghaza) 08/640638
- Kefraya Medical and Social Center (Kefraya) 08/645198
- Al-Hajj Mehdi Eidi Center (Mashghara) 08/651704
- Primary Health Care Center at the Government Hospital in Mashghara (Mashghara) 08/651738, 08/651739
- Amel Kamed el-Loz Health Center (Jeb Jennine) 08/663086
- Maachael Medical Center for Primary Health Care (Hoch Hraime) 76/582146
Baalbeck
- Barqa Medical and Social Center (Barqa) 08/320590
- Faraj Ballouk Center for Primary Health Care (Nasser Square-Baalbeck) 08/373513
- Nabi Chit Health Center (Nabi Chit) 08/335720
- Deir el-Ahmar Center for Primary Health Care (Deir al-Ahmar) 08/320373
- Chmestar Health Center (Chmestar) 08/330024
- Bouday Health Center (Bouday Municipality building) 08/300885
- Al-Labweh Health Center (Labweh) 08/233655
- Qaa Greek Catholic Archdiocese Center for Primary Health Care (Qaa) 08/225514
- Social Development Center (Ksarnaba) 08/912117
- Lebanese Association Center for Primary Health Care (Ksarnaba) 08/912983
- Saarine Faouqa Municipal Center (Saarine Faouqa) 08/335472
- Development Services Center (Baalbeck, Ras el-Ain Street) 08/370622
- Temnine Health Center for Primary Health Care (Temnine al-Tahta) 08/911243
- Amel Health Center in Ain (al-Ain Baalbeck) 08/233188
- Brital Health Center (Brital) 08/340966
- Arsal Health Center (Arsal) 08/240234
- Maqneh Health Center (Maqneh) 08/305500
- Imam Sadek Center for Primary Health Care (Yammouneh) 08/310150
- Al-Iman Health Center (Arsal) 71/637838
Hermel
- Lebanese Red Cross Center (Hermel) 08/200089
- Al-Batoul Health Center for Primary Health Care (al-Maali - Hermel) 08/201151 ext.1020
- Al-Qosr Health Center for Primary Health Care (Qasr) 08/206118
Saida
- Development Services Center (Haret Saida) 07/751398
- Al-Ghassaniya Health Center for Primary Health Care (al-Ghassaniya) 07/420639
- Primary Health Care Center at Nabih Berri Forum for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (Sarafand) 07/441010, 07/441020, 07/420606
- Imam Sadr Institutions - Kfar Hatta Center for Primary Health Care (Kfar Hatta) 07/215660
- Nazih Bizri Center for Primary Health Care (Kiaha - Saida) 07/727512
- Al-Ghaziye Health Center (Ghazieh) 07/223600
- Imam Mahdi Center (Ghazieh) 07/220140
- Caritas Center (Saida, Saint Nicholas Street) 07/732268 ext. 101
- Maarouf Saad Center for Primary Health Care (Workers' City) 07/722393
- Lebanese Red Cross Center (Zrarieh) 07/305610
- Primary Health Care Center at Saida Governmental Hospital (Ain al-Hilweh) 07/754085, 07/754086
- Srebta Association Health Center (Srebta-Sarafand) 07/443123
- Knarit Municipal Health Center (Knarit) 07/220658
- Al-Kayan Medical Center (Marwanieh) 07/506777
- Tanbourit Municipal Center (Tanbourit) 07/205722, 07/205952
- Hariri Association Center (Saida) 07/735141
Jezzine
- Roum Medical and Social Center (Roum) 07/810130
Sur
- Srifa Municipal Center (Srifa) 07/385092, 07/385536
- Amel Health Center (Bazourieh) 07/375135
- Imam Sadr Institutions Center (Shehabieh) 07/410407
- Imam Sadr Institutions Center (Siddikine) 07/430436
- Imam Sadr Medical Center (Taoura) 07/380389
- Haidar Khalil Center for Primary Health Care (Maarakeh) 07/315989
- Family Medicine Center (Aitit) 07/431156
- Imam Khomeini Center (Maachouk) 07/345901
- Primary Health Care Center at Qana Government Hospital (Qana) 07/430537
- Al-Kayan Medical Center (Sur) 07/347546
- Amel Health Center (Sur) 07/343108
- Siddikine Charitable Center for Primary Health Care (Siddikine) 07/431495
- Abbassiya Charitable Center for Primary Health Care (Abbasieh) 07/344620
- Chabiyeh Health Center (Chabiyeh) 07/411542
Nabatieh
- Ansar Municipal Center for Primary Health Care (Ansar) 07/501447
- Nmeiriye Charitable Center for Primary Health Care (Nmeirieh) 07/505849
- Nabatiye Center for Primary Health Care (Tell Askar-Nabatieh) 07/769092
- Jbaa Health Center (Jbaa) 07/210361
- Deir Zahrani Health Center (Deir Zahrani) 07/532319
- Zahraa Health Center (Nabatieh) 07/760151, 07/760152
Marjayoun
- Al-Zahraa Health Center (Kfar Kila) 07/855377
- Amel Health Center (Khiam) 07/840052
- Khiam Health Center (Khiam) 07/840536
- Imam Sadr Institutions Center (Deir Serian) 07/850900
- Nour Association Center for Primary Health Care (Jdeidet Marjayoun) 07/831330
- Rajeh Taher Association Center for Primary Health Care (Houla) 07/860220
- Al-Mustapha Health Center (Qabrikha) 07/365633
- Primary Health Care Center at Marjayoun Government Hospital 07/831033, 07/831034
- Taibeh Health Center for Primary Health Care (Taibeh) 07/850502
Hasbaya
- Hasbaya Primary Health Care Center (Hasbaya) 07/550519
- Ain Jarfa Health Center for Primary Health Care (Ain Jarfa) 07/550445
- Rafik Hariri Health Center (Shebaa) 07/565055
- Kfar Hammam Health Center for Primary Health Care (Kfar Hammam) 07/560116
Bint Jbeil
- Developmental Health Care Center (Bint Jbeil, Ouaini district) 07/450571
- Al-Abbas Center for Primary Health Care (Yater) 07/425187
- Imam Sadr Center (Chakra) 07/370277
- Sayyed Abdel-Mohsen Fadlallah Center (Kherbet Selem) 07/405149
- Medical and Social Center (Yaroun) 07/451540
- Al-Abbas Center for Primary Health Care (Yater) 07/425187
- Primary Health Care Center at Tebnine Government Hospital (Tebnine) 07/325528, 07/326399
- Developmental Care Center (Aïta Chaab) 07/465356
- Medical and Social Care Center (Aïn Ebel) 07/470097
- Burj Klawiyeh Center for Primary Health Care (Burj Klawiyeh) 07/385454
- François al-Hajj Center (Rmeich) 07/470495
- Imam Sadr Institutions Center (Aïta Chaab) 07/465600
