Published : 11-03-2020
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon said they have had scant access to quality healthcare. The Lebanese state does not provide them with any such services, and private treatment is highly expensive.
More than half of Palestinian refugees fleeing to Lebanon live in the 12 official camps across the country, where overcrowding, limited essential services and poor sanitary conditions mean conditions are among the worst in the region.
Over recent weeks, the refugees’ fears over their health conditions have hit the zenith as reports of confirmed cases testing positive for coronavirus have increasingly emerged in the Middle Eastern country.
The refugees also said they are only assisted by UNRWA in a handful of health care services, including primary health care, urgent surgeries, and child birth assistance.
The added that UNRWA abstains from assisting the refugees in emergency cases, including traffic accidents. Patients in need of open heart surgeries receive partial funding.
Though URNWA clinics provide free or low-cost services, the refugees rarely have access to the prescribed medicines.
Those with life-threatening and chronic diseases continue to appeal for urgent medical treatment and financial assistance to purchase medicines and undergo therapy.
Despite their longstanding presence in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees remain excluded from key aspects of social, political and economic life in the country. They are barred from accessing public services, owning or inheriting property, and working in 39 professions.
Around 100,000 Palestinians originally fled to Lebanon at the time of the Nakba mostly from northern and coastal areas of Mandate Palestine including Haifa, Safad, Yaffa, Acre and Nazareth. They were joined by later waves of refugees following the 1967 war, and the 1970 fighting in Jordan. Today, over 400,000 Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon.
The United Nation has identified Palestinian refugees in Lebanon as one of the most marginalized and poorest communities in the region. They continue to face high vulnerability and marginalization, making them heavily reliant on humanitarian support to cover their basic needs. The socio-economic hardships and unrest experienced by the country have compounded the refugees’ already dire living conditions.
The refugees’ vulnerability is further compounded by their precarious legal status. The lack of a valid legal status, often coupled with outdated civil registration documents, results in severely restricted freedom of movement for some Palestinian refugees in Lebanon due to fear of arrest, detention or forced deportation.
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon said they have had scant access to quality healthcare. The Lebanese state does not provide them with any such services, and private treatment is highly expensive.
More than half of Palestinian refugees fleeing to Lebanon live in the 12 official camps across the country, where overcrowding, limited essential services and poor sanitary conditions mean conditions are among the worst in the region.
Over recent weeks, the refugees’ fears over their health conditions have hit the zenith as reports of confirmed cases testing positive for coronavirus have increasingly emerged in the Middle Eastern country.
The refugees also said they are only assisted by UNRWA in a handful of health care services, including primary health care, urgent surgeries, and child birth assistance.
The added that UNRWA abstains from assisting the refugees in emergency cases, including traffic accidents. Patients in need of open heart surgeries receive partial funding.
Though URNWA clinics provide free or low-cost services, the refugees rarely have access to the prescribed medicines.
Those with life-threatening and chronic diseases continue to appeal for urgent medical treatment and financial assistance to purchase medicines and undergo therapy.
Despite their longstanding presence in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees remain excluded from key aspects of social, political and economic life in the country. They are barred from accessing public services, owning or inheriting property, and working in 39 professions.
Around 100,000 Palestinians originally fled to Lebanon at the time of the Nakba mostly from northern and coastal areas of Mandate Palestine including Haifa, Safad, Yaffa, Acre and Nazareth. They were joined by later waves of refugees following the 1967 war, and the 1970 fighting in Jordan. Today, over 400,000 Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon.
The United Nation has identified Palestinian refugees in Lebanon as one of the most marginalized and poorest communities in the region. They continue to face high vulnerability and marginalization, making them heavily reliant on humanitarian support to cover their basic needs. The socio-economic hardships and unrest experienced by the country have compounded the refugees’ already dire living conditions.
The refugees’ vulnerability is further compounded by their precarious legal status. The lack of a valid legal status, often coupled with outdated civil registration documents, results in severely restricted freedom of movement for some Palestinian refugees in Lebanon due to fear of arrest, detention or forced deportation.
