WHO releases $2 million in emergency funds to Lebanon, Iraq and Syria

March 15 (Reuters) - The ‌World Health ​Organization ​said on Sunday it had released $2 million from its Contingency Fund for ‌Emergencies (CFE) to support the health response in ⁠Lebanon, Iraq and Syria amidst the ongoing crisis in ‌the Middle East.

The conflict ‌has triggered a large-scale population movement, the WHO said last week, estimating that more than ​100,000 people in Iran have relocated, and up to 700,000 people in Lebanon ⁠have been internally displaced.

$1 million has been allocated to Lebanon to ​strengthen the WHO's emergency coordination through the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, scale ​up trauma care, reinforce ‌disease surveillance, and procure and distribute essential medicines and medical supplies, the ⁠agency said in a statement.

Iraq and Syria have each been allocated $500,000 to support emergency coordination and ⁠mass-casualty management, procure and distribute essential medicines and supplies, provide ​health services for displaced populations, and strengthen disease surveillance and community outreach, it added.

"At a time when health ‌services are already facing significant challenges, support is essential to sustain ‌frontline health workers and maintain critical care services," ⁠Hanan Balkhy, WHO ‌Regional Director for ​the Eastern Mediterranean said.

(Reporting by Rhea Rose Abraham in Bengaluru; Editing by Alexander ‌Smith)

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