Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine convened a workshop to assess progress on Lebanon's national health strategy and chart priorities for reform amid economic collapse and displacement.
Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine opened a workshop at the Mövenpick Hotel on Wednesday to review implementation of the National Health Strategy, Vision 2030, which was launched in January 2023. The event, titled "From Review to Reform," brought together officials from the European Union and the World Health Organization alongside ministry staff and health sector experts to evaluate progress and set reform priorities for the coming period.
Nasreddine said the review was necessary given the exceptional circumstances the Lebanese health system has endured, including economic collapse, epidemics, war, and mass displacement. Despite these pressures, he said, the health sector has continued to fulfil its role and multiple reforms have moved from planning into execution.
Among reforms now being implemented is the issuance of the regulatory decree for the National Drug Agency law, the launch of a central public health laboratory rehabilitation project, and strengthened disease surveillance and pandemic preparedness capacity. The ministry has also achieved full coverage of the uninsured in government hospitals and is working to upgrade their infrastructure, equipment, and staff training.
Nasreddine emphasised that reform is possible even during crises, with the goal of reaching universal health coverage by 2030. He called for an increase in the Health Ministry budget to expand service provision and stressed that the ministry operates independently of politics, saying health is a right for all citizens.
Alexandra Feser, representing the European Union, affirmed the bloc's continued support for Lebanon and praised the resilience of the health system. She noted that health sector reform contributes to rebuilding public trust in state institutions at a critical moment.
Dr Yutaka Setoya, acting representative of the World Health Organization, stressed the importance of building a more flexible and crisis-resistant health system. He called for strengthened sustainable financing and preparation for future challenges including artificial intelligence and climate change.
The workshop included technical sessions examining the preliminary findings of the national health strategy review. Participants discussed reform priorities, current obstacles, and the steps required in the next phase of implementation.
The timing of the review reflects broader efforts to stabilize Lebanon's institutions as the country contends with ongoing economic crisis and the displacement of nearly a million Syrian refugees. The health system, which was already strained before 2019, has faced severe shortages of medicines, fuel for generators, and trained staff.
Officials have framed the vision 2030 initiative as foundational to post-crisis state rebuilding. Whether the ministry can secure the budget increases Nasreddine requested will be crucial to moving beyond planning documents into sustained service delivery across the country.
