Upgrading Ildes Health Care Center In Hadath - Phase 2

ILDES has acquired funding from the Australian Embassy in Lebanon through their Direct Aid Program in order to upgrade the equipment of the Health Care Center IHCC.
IHCC is housed in the parish of St. George's Church in the district in Hadath Khreibeh in the caza of Baabda (southern suburbs of Beirut). It serves the following localities:
1 - Hadath which is a residential community located 8km from the capital Beirut. It has 27,203 residents and is located in the Caza of Baabda, in the governorate of Mount Lebanon. Hadath counts a private hospital run by the Congregation of "St. Teresa" and has a total capacity of 180 beds.
2 - The villages of Mrayjé, Tahouitat el Ghadir Laylakeh counted 148 676 residents in 2004. There is no hospital in this district
3 - Hazmieh which is located in the Caza of Baabda includes 3 private hospitals which have a total capacity of 335 beds.
4 - Kfar Chima does not have any hospital.
According to a study done by ILDES in April 1987 concerning Mrayjeh's populations that were displaced during the Lebanese Wars (1979-1989), it appeared that 20% lived in very poor conditions. After their flight from their homes they were housed in schools, religious places; buildings were requisitioned as well as small and unsanitary housing. The bad sanitary situation encouraged the emergence of diseases especially among people over 40 years, of which nervous disorders, hypertension, diabetes and heart problems. Moreover the insecurity prevented the exercise of preventive medicine especially for children. In 1987, because of inflation and declining purchasing power, the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Hadath, Mrayjeh and the surrounding area could not pay for the basic health needs. ILDES felt the urgency to alleviate these problems by creating a health center in the town of Hadath to meet the needs of IDPs. The services offered are curative and preventive services and are accompanied by training, education and financial aid.
ILDES Health Care Center (IHCC) is under contract with the Ministry of Social Affairs since 1994 and is preparing to partner with the Ministry of Health. Also ILDES has been selected by YMCA and signed an agreement with them in 1991 to cater for the chronically ill by providing the medication and drugs.
Problems to be addressed:
IHCC lacks the equipment for ophthalmology and the doctor brings his own equipment to the center which is a burden and risk for him. He is solicited by 6 patients per session. He is able to perform only a cursory exam to detect physical pathologies.
He is unable to provide the adequate service for lack of suitable equipment to be able to examine the retina, the optical nerve and the macula. He also is unable to examine the vision and to do the refraction test to determine the need for corrective lenses. In that case he asks the patient to go to his clinic where he will perform the auscultation and give his diagnostic. The patient has to pay for the transportation to the clinic and is then billed for the consultation. In gynecology and obstetrics, IHCC lacks the right equipment to be used to examine the health of the expecting mother and fetus which leads the expecting mother to either seek private clinics (which incurs high expenditures for the expecting family) or forego any consultation and put hers and the unborn child’s health in jeopardy.
The gynecologist at IHCC cannot perform colposcopy which is a medical diagnostic procedure to detect cancerous and precancerous cells in the cervix. Many premalignant lesions and malignant lesions in these areas have discernible characteristics which can be detected through the examination with a colposcope which provides an enlarged view of the areas, allowing the colposcopist to visually distinguish normal from abnormal appearing tissue and take directed biopsies for further pathological examination. The gynecologist is also unable to look at the health of an unborn baby and detect problems to be addressed or: Check the health of a fetus. Blood flow in the umbilical cord, through the placenta, or in the heart and brain of the fetus. This test can show if the fetus is getting enough oxygen and nutrients. Doppler ultrasound may be used to guide decisions during pregnancy when: i. The fetus is smaller than normal for his or her gestational age (fetal growth restriction). Blood flow through the large blood vessel in the umbilical cord (the umbilical artery) can be looked at.
ii. Rh sensitization has occurred. Blood flow through a blood vessel in the brain (the middle cerebral artery, or MCA) can be used to monitor fetal health.
iii. The mother has other problems, such as sickle cell disease which is very common in disease in Lebanon.
In cardiology, the cardiologist is unable to study
The state of the arteries to detect the risks of clots and deep vein thrombosis in adults especially in the neck, arms, and legs. Detect atherosclerosis of the lower extremities. Evaluate blood flow after a stroke or other condition that might be caused by a problem with blood flow. Evaluate varicose veins or other vein problems. Monitor the flow of blood following blood vessel surgery. Find out the presence, amount, and location of arterial plaque. Plaque in the carotid arteries can reduce blood flow to the brain and may increase the risk of stroke. In order to provide the best services to patients on the premises of IHCC and allow the patients to consult adequately and get the best adapted services ILDES conducted one on one interviews with the doctors who provide care in the center about the most urgent needs of IHCC to better provide for the medical requirements of the beneficiaries. They said unanimously that the needs are for affordable diagnostic equipment for the eyes, respiratory track and for the health of mother and child.
Proposed solution:
To purchase and equip IHCC with diagnostic machines to perform exams of the eyem, the retina, the macula, the optic nerve as well as the refraction of the eye. In gynecology, the need of IHCC is for a Fetal Monitor for the health and safety of mother and child that could be operated by the physicians themselves and on the premises in order to give a quick diagnosis to the patients and save the life of mothers and unborn babies. On the other hand and for an early detection of cervical cancer, IHCC should own a colposcope that will allow them to examine the cervix and the tissues of the vagina and vulva. The main goal of colposcopy is to prevent cervical cancer by detecting precancerous lesions early and treating them. In cardiology a Doppler ultrasound test uses reflected sound waves to see how blood flows through a blood vessel. It helps doctors evaluate blood flow through major arteries and veins, such as those of the arms, legs, and neck. It can show blocked or reduced flow of blood through narrow areas in the major arteries of the neck that could cause a stroke. It also can reveal blood clots in leg veins (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT) that could break loose and block blood flow to the lungs (pulmonary embolism). During pregnancy, Doppler ultrasound may be used to look at blood flow in an unborn baby (fetus) to check the health of the fetus.