Improve Access to Hospital Care through Top Up Financial Contributions for  900 Lebanese hosts and 100 migrant workers and PPE provision for 5 selected hospitals in T5, Akkar, Bekaa, BML, and South Lebanon SAMS proposes a 12-month intervention to address the critical life-saving needs of 900 most vulnerable Lebanese hosts and migrant workers across all cohorts as a result of the pandemic and Lebanon’s socio-economic situation. Specifically, with regard to emergency COVID-19 response (Allocation Health Sector Priority 1B), SAMS will procure and distribute PPE to five hospitals within SAMS' referral network, based on assessed needs. With regard to provision of critical life-saving hospital care (Allocation health priority 4), SAMS will provide financial top-up contributions to support the patient share, diagnostic care, and the non-covered cost (material) to vulnerable Lebanese and migrant workers, as well as the mandatory PCR tests associated with these hospital admissions, linking to Health Sector Priority 1A.  The goal of this program is to Improve access to hospital (including emergency room care) and advanced referral care (including advanced diagnostic laboratory and radiology care) for Lebanese hosts and migrant workers, particularly for care gaps exacerbated by Lebanon’s current crises which are not covered under MOPH public insurance, and to ensure patients and health care workers are better protected from COVID-19 and able to access life-saving care and treatment.  SAMS will target 425 Lebanese persons for generalized secondary care and a maximum contribution of $700 per patient- who have conditions that are considered ‘unallowable’ on MOPH insurance (such as advanced labs,  radiology tests, PCR testing, and Orthopedic materials), 425 Lebanese persons for generalized secondary care at $500 per patient who can present an MOPH cost share based on their needed procedure, 50 Lebanese persons in need of psychiatric hospital admission who can present MOPH cost share at a maximum contribution of $300 per patient, and 100 migrant workers for generalized secondary health care with a maximum contribution of $1000 to account for a lack of insurance. As a complementary activity, working in coordination with the MOPH to select facilities for support, SAMS will support 5 public hospitals- one per governorate- with PPE: 250,000 facemasks, 100,000 gloves, 125,000 headcovers, and 40,000 shoe covers in total, based on MOPH case management and assessment gaps performed by UN partners. 

The project will decrease protection concerns for patients, including the confiscation of ID and legal documents, the long separation of patients from their caregivers, refusal of the hospital to admit or discharge the patient because of medical debt, and the refusal to release the bodies of deceased patients through MOUs with hospitals that name SAMS as the responsible party for payment rather than the patient. As a secondary outcome, this project sustains hospital functionality during Lebanon’s confluent crisis while strengthening their administrative procedures for future patients. This will contribute to COVID mitigation and the protection of both patients and health workers in hospital settings via PPE provision and PCR testing for admitted patients. All activities will be closely coordinated within key stakeholders within the Health Sector - MOPH, IOM, OCHA, Health Sector WG NGO members, and hospital focal points