Brazilian government donates 24,000 health supply items to Lebanon

Aircraft carrying donation of 20,000 syringes with needles and 4,000 individual needles expected to take flight around 2 pm from São Paulo Air Base this Sunday (6). Other emergency goods are expected to be transported in a few days

Published in Oct 06, 2024 05:26 PM

Boxes of medications and supplies destined to Lebanon. Image: Brazilian Ministry of Health (MS).

The Brazilian government is donating strategic health supplies to Lebanon to assist with the state of emergency faced by the local population. The donation of 20,000 syringes with needles and 4,000 individual needles is expected to leave Brazil this Sunday (6) from the São Paulo Air Base in a Brazilian Air Force (FAB) repatriation flight. The cargo weighs approximately 115 Kilograms and does not require refrigeration. The operation was coordinated by the Brazilian Ministry of Health (Ministério da Saúde / MS) in partnership with the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (Agência Brasileira de Cooperação / ABC), from the Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministério das Relações Exteriores). Other emergency supplies are expected to be donated in the coming days.

The donation seeks to fulfill the need reported by the Lebanese Embassy in Brasilia on October 23. Brazil's international humanitarian cooperation is based on the available stock from the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde / SUS) administered by the Ministry of Health. In this sense, donations are made available after a technical analysis that ensures there is no risk of compromising the national supply in the context of the SUS.

In 2023, Brazil made humanitarian donations of medications, vaccines, and health supplies to various countries, including Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Guinea, Libya, Haiti, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay. In 2024, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Paraguay, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Uruguay also received Brazilian health supply donations.

CEDAR ROOTS – The first flight to retrieve individuals from the conflict zone in Lebanon, in an operation named Raízes do Cedro (Cedar Roots), arrived in Brazil at 10:25 am this Sunday, October 6, at the Guarulhos Air Base with 229 passengers, among Brazilian citizens and family members, and three pets. The flight prioritized women, elderly people and children, ten of which were infants.