The Municipality of Beirut partnered with UN-Habitat Lebanon to establish the city’s first Municipal Mobile Health Clinic and respond to the dire need for accessible healthcare during the pandemic. Despite deteriorating local conditions such as fuel and electricity shortages and repeated lockdowns during the initial months of the pandemic, the Municipality of Beirut successfully procured equipment and outfitted the clinic, also hiring essential staff.
Still in operation, the clinic improves access to healthcare for Beirut’s most marginalized populations by providing free and accessible healthcare services to all, regardless of migration status. Going where it is needed most, the clinic focuses on neighborhoods with a high percentage of refugees, migrants, and marginalized Lebanese residents, including working-class neighborhoods impacted by the 2020 explosion.
The clinic’s services include free and non-discriminatory Covid-19 testing and vaccinations, psychosocial support, referrals to other health services, and medical kits including medicine and protective equipment. While the clinic initially focused on treatment for and preventing transmission of Covid-19, its services have since expanded to include blood drives for children, primary healthcare screenings, and health awareness events.