$2.37mn granted to rebuild blast-damaged Beirut hospital

Beirut, March 9 Unicef and the French Development Agency (AFD) has signed an agreement to grant 2 million euros ($2.37 million) to Lebanon to rebuild a hospital which was severely damaged in the August 2020 Port of Beirut blasts.

By rehabilitating and operating the new building of the Karantina Governmental Hospital, the project aims at restoring the most vulnerable residents' access to basic healthcare services and ensuring that women and children receive quality care in the current complex circumstances, Xinhua news agency quoted a local media report as saying on Monday.

French Ambassador to Lebanon Anne Grillo said this funding is an additional contribution by France to the reconstruction of Beirut after the blasts.

Meanwhile, Unicef Representative in Lebanon Yukie Mokuo said that the rehabilitation of the hospital is part of the organisation's long-term commitment to rebuilding Beirut.

The Karantina Governmental Hospital is a refuge for the most marginalized people requiring medical care.

Two huge explosions ripped through the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, killing about 200 people, injuring at least 6,000 others and leaving 300,000 homeless.

A big part of the Lebanese capital was destroyed in the disaster.

Investigations pointed to the roughly 500 tonnes of ammonium nitrate left at the port as the cause of the explosions.

( With inputs from IANS )