By Youssef Aouli | Health Project Manager
About Alzahraa Medical Center
Established in 2008 in partnership with Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health and upgraded to a Primary Health Care Center in 2016, Alzahraa Medical Center is operated by the Alawite Islamic Charity Association (AICA), a Lebanese nonprofit founded in 1950. Located between Mankoubin and Jabal Mohsen in Tripoli, AMC provides affordable, non-discriminatory healthcare to vulnerable Lebanese families, displaced Syrians, and other underserved communities across North Lebanon. Its services include general and specialist consultations, vaccinations, medicines, chronic disease and mental health follow-up, laboratory access, and mobile medical outreach.
Project Update: May 2026
In May, AMC maintained essential center-based and mobile healthcare services despite financial pressures, displacement-related needs, and constraints on partner-supported referrals. By combining subsidized consultations, medication support, and direct outreach to temporary shelters, the center helped patients access care closer to where they live.
During May 2026, AMC recorded 3,280 healthcare service contacts and visits through its center-based and mobile primary healthcare activities. These included 1,614 female and 1,666 male service contacts, with repeat visits included in the totals. The center also supported 843 individuals with chronic medications, helping patients maintain access to treatment and follow-up care. In its emergency outreach response, AMC provided free medical consultations and basic healthcare support to 219 displaced individuals from South Lebanon during six visits to three public schools in Jabal Mohsen. This outreach reached 104 males and 115 females, including 18 children and 16 older persons.
Healthcare Delivered During May 2026
These service figures represent recorded contacts and visits rather than a count of unique patients.
How Healthcare Access Was Supported
Affordable consultations and treatment
AMC continued offering general consultations at LBP 600,000 and specialist consultations at LBP 900,000. Essential medicines and vaccinations were provided free when available or covered through partner arrangements.
Chronic illness and mental health
In coordination with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), patients continued chronic medication renewals for a symbolic LBP 50,000 fee, along with non-communicable disease and mental health follow-up. MSF covered consultations for displaced Syrian patients and provided a LBP 350,000 consultation subsidy for eligible Lebanese patients.
Laboratory and pharmacy access
AMC helped patients register through the YMCA-supported mechanism, coordinated with the Ministry of Public Health, and dispensed prescribed medicines through its pharmacy, with usage guidance.
Mobile primary healthcare
A mobile team including a physician, nurses, and a licensed midwife served shelters and public locations in Jabal Mohsen, including two service days per week at the public garden.
A Response That Reached Displaced Families
When families displaced from South Lebanon were accommodated in public schools in Jabal Mohsen, AMC adjusted its outreach schedule. During six visits to three schools, the mobile team provided free consultations, basic healthcare, health guidance, and follow-up advice to 219 people. These included 18 children and 16 older persons. The team managed the identified needs on site; no medical referrals were required during the reporting period. Bringing care directly into schools reduced transport and cost barriers for families already facing displacement.
Challenges and Next Priorities
High treatment and transport costs, occasional medication shortages, electricity and connectivity interruptions, and reduced external referral options continued to affect access. AMC responded through partner coordination, subsidized services, its solar energy system, and direct mobile outreach. Priorities include sustaining affordable consultations, replenishing essential medicines, strengthening referral alternatives, improving service-data verification, and continuing outreach to displaced families.
Why Continued Support Matters
For families balancing basic needs against the cost of treatment, accessible primary healthcare can mean timely consultations, continued medication, and fewer missed follow-ups. Continued donor support can help AMC sustain affordable services and flexible outreach for communities affected by economic hardship and displacement. This report describes AMC’s overall April activities; the source narrative does not attribute these outputs specifically to GlobalGiving donations.
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