On March 2020, LOST launched the “Promoting Healthcare Services in Brital and Talia Healthcare Centers” in partnership with MEDAIR, and funded by the European Union. The main objective of the project was to improve the health of the population in and surrounding the villages of Talia and Brital. This was accomplished by increasing their awareness and their access to physical and mental health. The project raised awareness of the Lebanese and Syrian people in the targeted areas on the MOSA SDCs in Talia and Brital and the services they provide. The project had the support of the community represented by the municipalities, mayors, and local stakeholders who expressed their interest in supporting the SDCs and further increasing the trust of the local population in them and their services. The project included a component where the staff of the SDCs was capacitated on language and computer skills in order to develop the skills that would facilitate their work duties, thus speeding up the process of delivering services. Adding to that, the project included the “Healthy Family Peaceful House” (HFPH) component that targeted households that had pregnant women, children under 5 years, and new couples through topics of reproductive health, newborn and child health, mental health, wellbeing, and gender roles.
The project targeted more than 1,000 families in the HFPH component that worked on improving the behavior of family members and increasing their awareness regarding reproductive and mental health. In addition, and as part of increasing the link between the MOSA SDCs, the local governments, and the general population, a fully equipped ambulance was provided to the municipality of Brital. This was done to increase access to healthcare services especially in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. The SDCs proved to have a key role in providing non-COVID-19 related services, as the hospitals were flooded by COVID-19 cases. This reduced the stress of seeking healthcare services to the villages in proximity to these SDCs. Last but not least, the SDCs received equipment as part of improving their capacities in service provision.
This project’s impact has been immense as it built the capacities of the SDCs and their staff, increased the trust between the general public and the MOSA SDCs, and improved the coordination mechanisms between the SDCs and the municipalities.
