Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis and recent conflicts have put massive pressure on the country's healthcare system. Severe funding shortages, damage to medical facilities, and the flight of health professionals have made basic care hard to access. To tackle this, France is expanding its support through the French Development Agency (AFD) by launching the SAQIRH II project to provide affordable primary care to vulnerable residents and refugees.

The new phase builds on the accomplishments of the first SAQIRH I program, which provided financing for more than one million patients throughout Lebanon. In cooperation with NGOs, including Première Urgence Internationale, Médecins du Monde, and Amel Association, the initiative strives to restore the destroyed medical facilities and minimize the burden on the public hospitals that are already overcrowded.

The program works on three main tasks. First, it makes sure the costs of care at 16-20 health centers remain affordable. Second, the program enhances the digital health systems and medicine supply. Lastly, the venture aims at establishing a funding model that will be sustainable in cooperation with the Lebanese government, the EU, and the World Bank.

By 2028, the project aims to help more than 500,000 people. Planned targets include funding 700,000 doctor consultations, delivering specialized support for 1,000 vulnerable women, and training 100 health workers to raise care standards nationwide.