Minister of Health in the caretaker government, Firas Al-Abiad, expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by France to support the health sector in Lebanon, enhance government hospitals, and secure medications and vaccines. He confirmed, "We look forward to more cooperation and working together at all levels to overcome this difficult phase." The Minister's remarks came during his meeting with his French counterpart, François Braun, on the second day of his visit to Paris, where they discussed the main challenges facing the Lebanese health sector and the medical staff working within it. Al-Abiad also informed his French counterpart about the priorities set by the national health strategy that need to be addressed immediately. They agreed to establish a framework for coordination and cooperation among the concerned parties based on the priorities outlined by the national health strategy in Lebanon.
The Minister of Health continued his series of meetings in France, where he met with a group of heads of the most important hospitals in France to discuss the problems and challenges facing the Lebanese healthcare sector, and explored ways in which France can support public and private hospitals in Lebanon. This includes empowering medical and nursing staff and projects based on telehealth technology. Following that, Al-Abiad visited the Pasteur Institute, where he met with the institute's president, Stuart Cole, to sign a memorandum of understanding for technical support to develop a central laboratory in Lebanon.
Al-Abiad also discussed the possibility of joint cooperation on digital transformation projects in healthcare with Fabrice Denis, an expert in digital health and the head of the National Institute of Electronic Health in France. The Minister's agenda included a visit to the French Development Agency, which funds many projects related to hospitals and quality assurance programs, as well as programs for mental health. He met with the head of the Health and Social Protection Department, Agnès Souka, who confirmed the ongoing support of the French Development Agency for projects aimed at promoting and empowering the health sector in Lebanon. Al-Abiad expressed his appreciation for the trust and commitment of the agency in supporting Lebanon during this difficult phase, stating, "We value this support, and our goal is to empower our health system in an effective and sustainable manner, so that we reach a stage where we no longer need any external support."
Al-Abiad concluded his day with a meeting with Thierry Philip, the Executive Board Chair of the Curie Institute, who recently visited Lebanon, and a group of Lebanese doctors and researchers at the institute. They discussed ways of cooperation, support, and sharing expertise to develop the national cancer control plan in Lebanon, which aims to improve the quality of care by establishing a quality assurance program for cancer treatment centers, monitoring the quality of healthcare services provided, starting from early diagnosis to the therapeutic protocols followed, and including palliative care after treatment.
