How it Began
There are two hospitals close by the village of Meshmesh, but both are private and too expensive for the vast majority of villagers. There are currently at least 80 chronic cardiac patients in Meshmesh, people who have to be transported 35km to get vital hospital treatment which is needed.
How it Worked
We provided a Cardiac Echographic Doppler, the only one in Akkar allowing direct assistance to patients for affordable fees.
Success Story
While medicine has advanced greatly over the years, and diagnosis of major illnesses has become a simple task given the available technologies, it is unfortunate that many areas in Lebanon remain deprived of such technologies. In the remote Northern village of Meshmesh in Akkar, the inhabitants did not have access to cardiovascular diagnosis machines. Accessibility to healthcare services along with hefty medical fees were needed to diagnose patients’ diseases and determine the corresponding treatment.
With the generous contribution of Abraaj Capital, in July 2010, the UNDP initiative Live Lebanon was able to provide a cardiac eco-graphic Doppler to the Meshmesh Clinic.
As a result of this intervention, the clinic now receives more than 40 patients for cardiovascular tests every month, a service offered free of charge to patients with low-incomes. The Meshmesh clinic now offers medical diagnoses by specialists, benefitting the 30,000 residents of Meshmesh and its neighboring villages: Fneidek, Al Korna, Beit Ayoub, Beit Youness, Al Erayat, Hrar, Abeid, Habsheet, Houeish, and Shan.