WHO secured funding from Central Emergency Response Fund to procure additional chronic medications and specialized mental health medications for the second quarter of 2020, to augment a European Union-financed supply of essential medications for noncommunicable diseases in a network of primary health care centres and dispensaries across Lebanon. Among the patients it serves are 200 vulnerable patients registered in the chronic medications program.
WHO is conducting more fundraising to complement the current medications gap, worsened by the COVID-19 outbreak as it delayed international procurement, as well as local transfer of government funds to the chronic medications programme operated by YMCA.
In addition, given increasing needs, WHO Lebanon is currently working on rationalizing and optimizing the essential medicines list for chronic medications to improve cost–effectiveness.
Globally, WHO has established a technical working group on NCD and COVID-19 to support the implementation of policies for the prevention and control of NCDs and their risk factors during the COVID-19 outbreak; and to limit the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on avoidable mortality and avoidable disability for people living with, or affected by, NCDs and their risk factors.
Read the full story: Noncommunicable diseases in the context of COVID-19
Read more about WHO’s response to COVID-19