On August 8, 2024, the Mérieux Foundation and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) signed an agreement to create a primary care center in the Baalbek-Hermel governorate. This initiative builds on the Mérieux Foundation’s efforts to support the healthcare sector and vulnerable groups in Lebanon.

Signed by General Joseph Aoun and Dr. Josette Najjar, the Mérieux Foundation’s Middle East Regional Manager, the agreement aims to improve access to health services for armed forces personnel, their families, and the local civilian population, in a region where healthcare infrastructure remains inadequate.

The Mérieux Foundation will contribute its expertise in public health by designing, building, and equipping the primary healthcare center on land supplied by the Lebanese Armed Forces in Baalbek.

Ultimately the center will aim to join the public health ministry’s network of primary healthcare centers (PHCC). Both partners will work to ensure the center complies with the laws in force and the quality standards defined by the ministry.

The Mérieux Foundation has already demonstrated its commitment to improving health and living conditions in Lebanon. It will be able to draw on the experience it gained during the building of the Douris primary healthcare center in the Bekaa region.

Funded by the Monaco government’s department of international cooperation and the Mérieux Foundation, the Douris center opened in 2019 under the authority of the health ministry and is now managed by the Amel association. It provides services including gynecology, obstetrics, and pediatrics to the local population and works to raise awareness of good health and hygiene practices.