As part of his tour across health centers in the north of Lebanon, H.E. the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Firass Abiad visited the vaccination center at the University of Balamand to inspect the Pfizer vaccination marathon program.

President of UOB, Dr. Elias Warrak and the Director of the vaccination center and COO, Dr. Youssef Bassim along with the staff welcomed the minister, and provided him with tour of the premises, showcasing the various sections and their respective function, in addition to highlighting the measures taken to store the vaccine at the appropriate temperature.

During the visit Minister Abiad was able to inspect and oversea the vaccination process, noting the large number of people waiting to be vaccinated.

Minister Abiad stated: “Due to the arrival of the new variant Omicron to Lebanon, we really need to strive to achieve heard immunity through the vaccination process to be able to confront this pandemic, keeping in mind the situation of our healthcare system”

Further adding, he commented on his visit to the vaccination centers, “we salute the medical staff and teams that have been working around the clock to provide excellent service, and this is what we have witnessed today at University of Balamand Vaccination Center. This center has proved to be one the most important centers, specifically in terms of excellent organization, which plays a major role in conducting the process flawlessly despite the high turnout. This support of such centers is extremely helpful as the Ministry cannot work alone and it counts on the support of the private sector.” The Minister then Thanked Dr. Warrak for the excellent work being done.

In turn, Dr. Elias Warrak, President of the University of Balamand commented, “The role of a university should not only be to hand out diplomas and secure job opportunities; the role should also be to contribute to social and humanitarian efforts that have a fundamental impact on the society in which we operate. This is what aim to achieve within our society and we hope that all universities will follow the example of the University of Balamand so we can build a stronger society and stronger country.” ​