MoPH and WHO organized handover event of six new Renault Express vehicles 2023  to the Ministry of Public Health’s Epidemiological Surveillance Unit today at the Ministry’s premises in the presence of Health Minister Dr Firass Abiad, ESU head Dr Nada Ghosn, and WHO Lebanon Representative Dr Abdinasir Abubakar. WHO Lebanon donated these vehicles to help facilitate the work of the ESU team in the field across Lebanon.

Dr Abiad said, “These 6 vehicles will make surveillance officers' work easier and contribute to the MoPH's focus on enhancing surveillance system for timely detection and response. MoPH and WHO have a strong partnership and our collaboration is making a difference in improving the overall health system in Lebanon.”

Dr Abdinasir said, “The ESU team is very hard-working and deserves to be supported and we will continue to support them whenever we get the opportunity. By having strong surveillance system, we can prevent, and control emerging infectious diseases and contribute to the overall pandemic preparedness capacity, while fulfilling one of the key pillars of the IHR’s core capacities.”

On her part, Dr Ghosn stated the importance of these vehicles to the work of the surveillance teams, and she reiterated that “It is crucial to have a reliable transportation that can facilitate the teams' work from Beirut to Mouhafazat or from south to north, covering Beqaa and Mount Lebanon as well. The use of these vehicles will expedite sample collection during alert verification visits to the field.”