Daily Star - Emirates Red Crescent boosts medical aid to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, 27 April 2012

BEIRUT: The United Arab Emirates Red Crescent (UAERC) has prepared large quantities of medicine destined to a hospital in north Lebanon to help in the treatment of Syrian refugees as part of the group’s relief efforts in the country, WAM reported Friday.

The Emirates News Agency said the aid was destined to Tripoli Hospital as part of the UAERC’s ongoing relief efforts to assist Syrian refugees fleeing unrest in their home country.

The UAERC delegation enhanced its relief operations after an on-the-ground assessment, which included evaluating the supply needs of Tripoli Hospital and other medical facilities located in border towns in the Bekaa, Akkar and Arsal.

At Tripoli Hospital, the delegation has begun providing medical supplies for new born babies.

The report added that hospitals in the region faced significant challenges as a result of the increased number of patients seeking medical attention.

According to the latest weekly report from the UNHCR, there are now 22,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Less than half of those, 9,940, are actually registered with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and Lebanon’s Higher Relief Committee.

In Lebanon, the refugee population is concentrated in the north, with around 9,000 displaced people in the region. A further 3,000 in the city of Tripoli itself are awaiting registration, the UNHCR said in its report.

Activists believe the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon is much higher than the UNHCR estimate.

WAM also said that the UAERC delegation continues to distribute food parcels to Syrian families in Sidon, south Lebanon, and surrounding areas, where it said many Syrian families reside.

It quoted Saleh al-Taii, a UAERC official, as saying that the UAERC would boost cooperation with the Lebanese Red Cross and international organizations working to better the conditions of refugees.

The delegation is also working with Doctors without Borders and has agreed to hold frequent meetings to discuss the situation of refugees and strengthen cooperation and exchange expertise in various fields.

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