His Excellency the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Firass Al-Abiad, and the Danish Ambassador to Lebanon, Mr. Kristoffer Vivike, visited Al-Zarif Medical Center in Beirut to mainly learn about activities of the project: “Bridging the Gap - Strengthening the Integrated Humanitarian Response to Non Communicable Diseases for Refugees and Host Communities in Lebanon”, which is a collaboration between the Ministry of Public Health, the American University of Beirut Medical Center, and the World Diabetes Foundation with support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
 
Al-Abiad stressed "the importance of this project, which provides support for the primary health care program in the Ministry of Public Health and its centers, especially in supporting care for non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease."
 
He stressed how “this project provides not only training for healthcare providers, but also assistance to patients through early diagnosis, prevention, and even treatment," noting that "these programs fall within the national health strategy of the Ministry of Public Health, the most important pillar of which is the development of primary health care centers."
 
At the end of the visit, the Minister thanked the World Diabetes Foundation and the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the main supporters of the project. He also thanked the State of Denmark for standing alongside Lebanon. He also expressed his appreciation for the cooperation with local partners and AUB as well. 
 
In turn, Ambassador Vivike said “the existing cooperation between the relevant organizations and the Ministry of Public Health is important and needed”, explaining the importance of “his country’s support for the Lebanese health system, which helps the Lebanese population and refugees at the same time.”