5.5 PLANETARY HEALTH
Lebanon: reform and sustainability
unrest and social upheaval. The Lebanese currency has plummeted over 90% in value, and a staggering 80% of households now endure multidimensional poverty. The World Bank classifies Lebanon’s economic downturn among the 10 most severe global economic crises since the 19th century. An exodus of top-tier professionals, challenged healthcare access and devastating out-of-pocket health expenditures have become alarmingly common. These crises have accentuated the pre-existing inefficiencies within the healthcare system, thereby compromising the response to escalating healthcare demands of a growing population. As a result, equitable care access, especially for the marginalised, has become an uphill battle. Tragically, the health advances made over decades have rapidly
Lebanon has recently faced one of its most tumultuous times, which has in part triggered a shift in the pattern of infectious diseases. Now, the country is working on its response to climate change and health challenges, with reform and sustainability at the heart of plans C limate change stands as a predominant and rapidly escalating threat to public health. Its impacts are most evident in countries already wrestling with health and socio-economic challenges. In countries engulfed by multiple, complex crises, health systems encounter heightened strain. This strain is magnified by the cumulative effects of climate change, worsening environmental conditions and migration. Lebanon, of late, has faced one of its most tumultuous times, characterised by an acute economic crisis, political
By Firass Abiad, minister of public
health, Lebanon
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Health: A Political Choice – From Fragmentation to Integration
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