Caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad, during a press conference in October 2024. (Credit: Photo from Health Ministry)
Lebanon’s caretaker health minister, Firas Abiad, said Tuesday that the health sector would need "almost $120 million to cover expenses for the next six months" as the Israeli offensive on Lebanon, intensifying since late September, has left more than 3,000 dead and 13,400 wounded.
“It is difficult to assess the extent of financial damage to institutions affiliated with the Health Ministry due to the Israeli aggression. These numbers are increasing daily,” Abiad said in an interview with Voix du Liban radio, relayed by the state-run National News Agency (NNA). He added that it is essential "to conduct a survey to assess the damage and calculate the costs needed for repairs,” but for now, “efforts are focused on [internally] displaced persons.”
Abiad also reported that several ministry officials had been killed in the war and that numerous hospitals, health centers and vehicles had been damaged.
