Highlights & Selected Articles

• Refugees (8/33 articles) mainly shed light on the Palestinian refugee camp at Ain al-Hilweh, south Lebanon, where UNRWA suspended health, education and environment services over security concerns. The UN agency later resumed some services like trash collection especially, after piles of garbage had accumulated on the streets. On the other hand, one commentary article discussed the policy of inaction taken by the international community regarding the Syrian refugee crisis.
• Ministry of Public Health (6/33 articles) covered different activities led and statements declared by the Minister of Public Health, Ghassan Hasbani. The newly appointed minister stated that the crisis affecting chronic disease medications will soon be over as the government, given its inability to pay for such medications from budget allocations, will allocate funds through other funding mechanisms.
• Other (5/33 articles) compiled different public health-related articles, among them, Iran calling on female sex workers and homeless drug to undergo sterilization to prevent social problems. One article reported on a study stating that taking a break from Facebook may boost mental health, while other articles highlighted ways to avoid drunkenness on New Year’s Eve, among other articles.

• Road Safety (5/33 articles) followed up on the procedures and measures taken by the Internal Security Forces and other stakeholders to reported to minimize road fatalities during the holiday season. On a similar note, the Syndicate of Restaurants, in collaboration with ISF, provided free taxi rides to improve road safety on New Year’s Eve.
• Environment (4/33 articles) showcased articles reporting how the new government will be dealing with the ongoing waste crisis. One article discussed the implications of dumping waste near Rafic Hariri Airport and how this can threaten safety and flight navigation.
• Patient Safety (3/33 articles) covered the Minister of Public Health, Ghassan Hasbani, who ordered an investigation after 10 hospitals refused to admit 30-days old infant and NSSF-patient, Mohammad Barakat.
• Water (1/33 articles) showed one article uncovering the issue of exporting polluted potable water to Cyprus.
• Pharmaceutical Sector (1/33 articles) showed one article using evidence from a K2P Policy Brief to showcase the irrational drug prescribing in Lebanon.