The process of restoring and rebuilding Lebanon health system will likely be shaped by many factors and take several years. In this paper, we outline three interrelated action points that we think should guide any future effort: health system adaptation; protecting, reskilling and empowering the health workforce and coordinating actors and resources towards creating a sustainable and resilient health system. The priority areas are informed by Middle East own experience, available global frameworks and country-level evidence on conflict and health.

The presence of IDPs, the destruction of the health infrastructure and the volatile nature of the security situation in the region require health system adaptation to ensure that essential services are provided to the population. Specifically, it requires reorienting service delivery according to location and security level, building capacity for emergency response and rebuilding the system for resilience. In conflict epicentres, where violence is acute and ongoing, the priority should be on a small set of medically urgent life-saving interventions.