International Medical Corps Lebanon Syrian Refugee Response January-June 2013

The number of Syrian refugees registered in Lebanon has more than quadrupled over the past six months. On January 1, 2013 Lebanon was hosting some 130,000 refugees; today that figure stands at more than 600,000. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that by the end of 2013 more than 1 million Syrians will have registered as refugees in Lebanon. In a country of approximately four million, this massive population influx, the majority of which has settled in Lebanon’s poorest regions, will increasingly strain the country’s resources, including its health care system. This rapid increase has required, and will continue to require, international NGOs to wisely deploy resources and dramatically expand operations to meet needs.