Beirut: As the UK Emergency Medical Team (UK-EMT) concludes its five-month deployment in Lebanon, the British Embassy hosted a workshop for local and international partners. Partners focused on exploring opportunities to maintain and build capacity at the Turkish Hospital in Saida, building on lessons from the UK-EMT deployment. The workshop was attended by British Charg© D'Affaires and Development Director, Victoria Dunne; UK-Med Team Lead, Mr. Andres Gonzales Rodriguez; Turkish Hospital Director, Mrs. Mona Teryaki; and Senior Advisor to the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Nadeen Hilal.
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, in November 2024, the UK-EMT arrived in Lebanon to attend to injured civilians caught up in the conflict and train Lebanese health workers in specialized burn treatment skills. The team, made up of medical staff from the NGO UK-Med and Interburns, had deployed in response to a call for assistance from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health to the international community. The deployment of medical professionals from the UK to emergencies and humanitarian crises around the world is funded by the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The UK-EMT shared their achievements and challenges in providing burns and trauma services at the Turkish hospital and suggested steps to ensure continuity of burns treatment and physiotherapy. The event highlighted how international NGOs like UK-Med can provide life-saving assistance in a crisis context while also improving Lebanon's capacity to provide these specialized services in the longer term.
Charge D'Affaires and Development Director Victoria Dunne stated that the conflict in Lebanon brought intolerable suffering to many, with homes destroyed and innocent civilians caught up in the crossfire. She expressed the UK's satisfaction in deploying valuable expertise to assist Lebanon during the crisis. Over the past five months, the UK medical team delivered urgently needed treatment to the most vulnerable and those with life-changing injuries, while imparting skills to Lebanese physiotherapists for long-term use. The workshop aimed to set a road map to sustain the Turkish Hospital in Saida and its burns rehabilitation expertise with the support of local and international partners.
UK-Med Senior Operations Manager and Team Lead for the UK EMT in Lebanon, Andres Gonzalez Rodriguez, remarked on the provision of specialized physiotherapy care focused on burn rehabilitation in partnership with Interburns at the Turkish Trauma and Emergency Hospital, Saida. Several training sessions for physiotherapists were conducted with the Lebanese Order of Physiotherapists and Interburns, including improving protocols and securing vital equipment. As the mission concludes, UK-EMT remains committed to supporting sustainable medical capacity in Lebanon through knowledge transfer and strengthened local healthcare systems.
Senior Advisor to the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Nadeen Hilal, commented on the Turkish Hospital's journey as a blueprint. Its evolution from an emergency recipient to a hub of localized expertise and burn standard of excellence demonstrates how targeted interventions can respond to national health priorities. The lessons learned in burns care, trauma management, and multidisciplinary collaboration should inspire replication across Lebanon's hospitals, addressing diverse needs such as maternal health and chronic disease management.