With Lebanon’s healthcare system under increasing pressure, Mehad has launched the first session of its pilot training programme in point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) for frontline doctors in Beirut.
This first session took place at Rafic Hariri University Hospital, Baabda Governmental Hospital and Sibline Governmental Hospital, with the aim of strengthening the rapid diagnostic capabilities of medical teams dealing with emergency situations.
The launch of this initiative took place in the presence of the Lebanese Minister of Health, Rakan Nassereddine, alongside the project’s partners: the Lebanese Ministry of Health, Anera, MedGlobal and the Global Ultrasound Institute.
POCUS is now regarded as a gold-standard examination in the management of critically injured patients. It can be performed in a matter of minutes at the patient’s bedside by an A&E doctor or intensive care specialist, enabling the rapid identification of life-threatening injuries and the identification of patients requiring immediate surgical intervention or life-saving procedures.
In emergency situations, this technique therefore saves valuable time when treating the injured and significantly improves patients’ chances of survival.
In this video, Jawfar Fawaz, one of the doctors trained by Mehad, discusses the importance of this approach:
“There is a critical window of opportunity when treating a war casualty. They may be bleeding, and if this isn’t detected straight away, we could lose the patient.”
This initial pilot phase, carried out in Beirut, comprises a two-day intensive training course, followed by on-the-job support for doctors within the healthcare departments. Nine doctors took part in this first session.
Building on Mehad’s experiences in Ukraine and Palestine, this initiative is intended to be gradually rolled out to other hospitals in Lebanon, particularly in areas under evacuation orders.
In the longer term, Mehad hopes to continue rolling out this approach in new hospitals and to strengthen the capacity of emergency departments operating in situations of prolonged crisis.
As part of this programme, each partner hospital has also received a state-of-the-art portable ultrasound scanner, enabling medical teams to put the skills they have learnt during the training into practice straight away.
This programme is part of Mehad’s commitment to building the capacity of local healthcare workers and supporting health systems in crisis situations.
To find out more about this project and the programme’s prospects for development in Lebanon, watch the recording of our webinar here:
