470 The role of health service providers in health system resilience amidst Lebanon’s multi-crisis situation

Sep 30, 2026

Lebanon’s healthcare system is strained by economic collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic, refugee influx, and ongoing armed conflict, creating severe pressure on service provision. This qualitative study examines how healthcare providers across formal and informal sectors navigate these pressures to sustain delivery, and who bears the costs in crisis-affected regions. Using key-informant interviews and thematic analysis through the ReBUILD framework, findings evaluate resilience via absorption, adaptation, and transformation strategies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Aim

Methods

Results

Conclusion

2nd World Congress on Migration, Ethnicity, Race & Health Abstract Book vi31 Abstract citation ID: ckaf180.086 470 The role of health service providers in health system resilience amidst Lebanon’s multi-crisis situation Rouham Yamout1, Joanna Khalil1, Wesam Mansour2, Fouad Fouad2, Joanna Raven2 1American University Of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon 2Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom OP 8: Health Services 6, B304 (FCSH), September 3, 2025, 15:45 - 16:45 Aim: Lebanon’s healthcare system has been severely impacted by economic collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic, the influx of refugees, and ongoing armed conflict, placing immense pressure on healthcare service provision. This study explores how healthcare providers at individual and institutional levels in both the formal and informal sectors navigate these challenges to sustain service delivery, and at whose expense, with a focus on the local response in crisisaffected regions. Methods: A qualitative approach was employed, utilizing 10key informant interviews with Ministerial officials, humanitarian officers, and various health stakeholders and providers from both formal and informal health sectors. Data collection focused on resilience strategies in service provision, access to resources, and the integration of informal healthcare workers. Thematic analysis was conducted using the ReBUILD health system resilience framework, categorizing responses into absorption, adaptation, and transformation. Results: Findings highlight the critical role of healthcare providers in sustaining essential services amid systemic disruptions and Ministry of Public Health disengagement. Absorption strategies included reliance on international aid and NGO support to compensate for collapsing public healthcare funding and supplement salaries. Adaptation mechanisms involved task-shifting, tolerance of informal providers, and flexible service models to reach underserved populations, particularly refugees. However, structural challenges, including fragmented governance and inequitable resource distribution, along with the exodus of healthcare providers hindered effective adaptation and placed the burden on patients and nonphysician healthcare workers. Transformation potential remained limited due to resistance to decentralization and the exclusion of informal providers from national health policies. Conclusion: Ensuring sustainable healthcare delivery requires localization of healthcare governance, stronger regulatory mechanisms, an inclusive healthcare system, and commitment to equitable access to healthcare provision. Without policy reform to integrate all healthcare workers into the system, Lebanon’s healthcare sector risks continued fragmentation, compromising both provider wellbeing and equitable patient access.

FAQs

What is the study’s main aim?

To explore how healthcare providers at individual and institutional levels in formal and informal sectors navigate Lebanon’s multi-crisis pressures to sustain service delivery, including whose burden increases.

What methods were used to investigate resilience?

A qualitative approach using 10 key-informant interviews with ministerial officials, humanitarian officers, and various health stakeholders and providers, followed by thematic analysis using the ReBUILD health system resilience framework.

What challenges limited adaptation and transformation?

Fragmented governance, inequitable resource distribution, and the exodus of healthcare providers hinder effective adaptation. Transformation potential remained limited due to resistance to decentralization and the exclusion of informal providers from national health policies.

Sep 30, 2026

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