“Check the news. There’s been an explosion. It’s chaos here.”

Story by Ram Vadi, UK-Med’s Health Director and Team Lead in Beirut

I remember where I was when I heard about the Beirut blast. It was early afternoon, and I was at home. My girlfriend, also an aid worker, was in Beirut waiting to fly home. She rang me immediately, “Check the news,” she said. A huge blast had rocked the city; glass littered the streets.

Thankfully she was unhurt, but she said there was a terrifying smell in the air. Had there been a chemical attack? Beirut stepped into emergency mode straight away.

As people desperately searched for survivors, social distancing and the rising COVID-19 cases were the last thing on their mind. Three of the biggest hospitals were severely damaged in the blast; the ones which were still operating were overwhelmed with casualties; people were being treated on the city’s pavements.

A UK-Med advance team was out the door within hours of the blast. I answered the call too, grabbed my bag, and got on a plane.

When disasters hit, speed can save lives, and it thanks to our incredible supporters can get a team out of the door and on-the-ground quickly. A donation today can help do just that – get expert health staff where they’re needed fast, and save lives.

When the world stops, we carry on

With the escalating global situation and the various lockdowns and flight restrictions in place, UK-Med was one of the only international emergency medical organisations able to answer Beirut’s call for help.

The fact we were able to send a team needed so quickly contributed to saving countless lives. The team I led got straight to work; working shoulder to shoulder with the local staff, treating patients, taking some of the load off and helping find solutions that would improve systems and ease the pressure.

The hospitals were on their knees, having to absorb additional COVID patients from the damaged hospitals. And with limited PPE available, staff were petrified of catching COVID-19 and taking it home to their loved ones.

Helping where the need is greatest

When there is an emergency, such as the Beirut port blast or COVID-19 outbreak, the poorest are hit the hardest – and that was sadly the case in Lebanon. Here, our teams were able to provide support across six public hospitals for a total of eight months, ensuring everyone, regardless of their background, received the help and high-quality healthcare they needed.

As emergencies continue to hit the world’s poorest harder than anyone, we must keep going. Will you give a gift today to help get our teams on the ground quickly, with the tools they need, to save more lives?

I’m so proud of what our team achieved during our time in Lebanon. I know we left the health services stronger than when we first arrived, and with the ability to better handle future emergencies. This is a vital part of what your support enables us to achieve – if we can help communities prepare for future crises, we know we’ve done our job right.

No matter what the future holds, we know that with your support, we can be ready.

We don’t know when the next emergency will hit. But wherever it might be, will you stand with us and help our medical team get there, with a donation today?