On April 28, 2015, the Minister of Health signed the updated license for the blood testing laboratory in Deir Aamar (Minieh-Dinnieh district) established with USAID BALADI project assistance. As a result, the laboratory has now started operations to provide its services to the community.

Deir Aamar blood testing laboratory staff calibrating the instruments funded by USAID to start providing blood testing services.

Based on a needs assessment conducted by the municipality in close coordination with the community, the blood testing laboratory had been identified as the most pressing need in Deir Aamar. The USAID BALADI project implemented by Rene Moawad Foundation contributed $124K to establish the blood testing laboratory in the existing municipal dispensary; this included making it accessible to persons with disabilities, equipping it with the needed machines and testing instruments, and training staff on management, operation, and accounting. Rene Moawad Foundation also linked the laboratory to a local NGO (Arc En Ciel) specialized in medical waste management to manage the medical wastes generated from the blood testing section. The laboratory will serve 600 persons during its first year of operation and expand its beneficiary base to serve 1600 economically disadvantage persons on an annual basis. Deir Aamar, an economically disadvantaged village is classified under the ‘worst’ category per UNHCR’s Lebanese Vulnerable Populations Map and hosts a significant number of Syrian refugees.