Beirut (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Lebanese University signed a partnership agreement today to launch the new Faculty of Medical Sciences module on clinical management of the war-wounded.
"Because of the situation in the region, there is a clear need for health workers with special skills to treat people wounded by firearms and explosive weapons. These patients have complex injuries that require specific surgical knowledge and techniques," said the Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Professor Boutros Yared, during the signing ceremony. "The module we are launching in partnership with the ICRC is the first ever in Lebanon and we are certain that it will help reinforce our capacity to provide effective medical assistance to weapon-wounded persons in both our country and the region at large."
The new module will be part of the Faculty's compulsory curriculum. Graduates will receive a diploma accredited by the Lebanese University and certified by the ICRC. The course will be open to not only the University's own surgical students, but also students from other Lebanese universities, and surgical specialists from all over Lebanon and across the region.
"This year, we are launching the theoretical part of the module, which will be presented by ICRC experts and a pool of our professors of surgery. Next year, we are also planning to introduce the practical component that will be run in hospitals," explained Professor Boutros Yared. "We are glad to do it in cooperation with the ICRC, which is an internationally recognized expert in weapon-wounded surgery and has a unique and long-standing experience in this area."
The partnership between the ICRC and the Lebanese University includes sharing know-how between ICRC specialists and the University's professors, with a view to handing over the theoretical component of the module to them in the next three to five years.
"Even beyond this period, we will continue to support the University wherever needed," said Marie-Thérèse Pahud, the ICRC Health Coordinator in Beirut. "We hope that our cooperation with the Lebanese University and Lebanese health facilities will help save the lives of weapon-wounded people and improve their care not only in Lebanon but throughout the region."
The ICRC has been working in Lebanon since 1967 and has been involved in medical activities throughout this time. In September 2014, it set up the Weapon Traumatology and Training Center in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli to provide surgical treatment (including reconstructive surgery) and physical rehabilitation to weapon-wounded patients and to share the ICRC's know-how in surgery and rehabilitation with local surgeons and other health professionals.
For further information, please contact:
Soaade Messoudi: +961 71 802 876
Tarek Wheibi, ICRC Beirut, tel: +961 70 153 928
