Pillar 1: Health Sector: Enhancing Nationwide Access to Secondary Healthcare for Underserved Communities (Lebanese patients, psychiatric Lebanese, migrant, and non-Syrian refugee patients) ltpgtltspan id="docs-internal-guid-77f470b8-7fff-e210-f1a9-f8364f573d35" style=""gtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtSAMS proposes to implement a nationwide health sector intervention that is aligned with LHF Standard Allocation Strategy 2023 “Pillar 1”. Hospital admissions for at least 726 patients are expected, benefitting Lebanese, non-Syrian refugee, and migrant patients in need of critical, life-saving, and psychiatric care. The proposed project will contribute to LCRP 2023 Outcome 2: Improve access to hospital (including. Emergency Room (ER) Care) and advanced referral care (including advanced diagnostic laboratory and radiology care) and Output 2.1: Financial support provided to targeted population for improved access to hospital and advanced referral care. SAMS has designed the proposed intervention after extensive consultation with UN agencies, among other key stakeholders in health, considering lessons learned after four years of experience implementing similar interventions. lt/spangtlt/spangtltbrgtlt/pgtltp style="line-height: 1.2 margin-top: 0pt margin-bottom: 0pt" dir="ltr"gtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtSAMS will (1) pay top-up contributions toward hospital bills of pre-approved patients for critical  lifesaving care based on predetermined medical criteria that is developed by SAMS and contracted hospitals (2) provide sensitization to hospital staff on SAMS financial procedures as per auditing standards  on protection and PSEA guidelines and (3) conduct patient follow-up and referrals for patients  other project participants that contact SAMS.lt/spangtlt/pgtltp style="line-height: 1.2 margin-top: 0pt margin-bottom: 0pt" dir="ltr"gtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtThe design of the project is informed by needs observed by SAMS during its current LHF award, alongside consultations with UN agencies (UNHCR, UNRWA, IOM, UNICEF), MoPH, and the health sector.lt/spangtlt/pgtltp style="line-height: 1.2 margin-top: 0pt margin-bottom: 0pt" dir="ltr"gtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtThe target population is as follows:lt/spangtlt/pgtltp style="line-height: 1.2 margin-top: 0pt margin-bottom: 0pt" dir="ltr"gtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtlt/spangtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtltspan style="white-space:pre" class="Apple-tab-span"gt	lt/spangtlt/spangtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtVulnerable Lebanese patients of all ages, nationwide, in need of in-patient hospitalization services. Lebanese are considered amongst the most vulnerable populations in Lebanon at present because of minimal  ever-decreasing coverage offered by insuring parties such as the MoPH, NSSF,  COOP, due to the unfavorable LBP/USD exchange rate that these insuring parties use to calculate coverage. Of note, hospital bills are based on market USD/LBP exchange rate while ensuring parties cover at official USD/LBP exchange rate.lt/spangtlt/pgtltp style="line-height: 1.2 margin-top: 0pt margin-bottom: 0pt" dir="ltr"gtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtlt/spangtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtltspan style="white-space:pre" class="Apple-tab-span"gt	lt/spangtlt/spangtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtVulnerable psychiatric patients of all ages  nationalities except Syrian patients, nationwide, in need of in-patient psychiatric services. There is little to no coverage for psychiatric admissions provided by the MoPH for Lebanese patients,  no coverage for Palestinian and migrant patients. No other L/INGOs other than SAMS offer coverage to patients in need of psychiatric care. Since UNHCR is still providing coverage of psychiatric admissions for Syrian patients, this population has not been included for psychiatric coverage. It is worth noting that organizations such as Embrace, Restart, and MSF refer psychiatric patients to SAMS on a daily basis for in-patient coverage support and rely heavily on SAMS for the provision of this support.  lt/spangtlt/pgtltp style="line-height: 1.2 margin-top: 0pt margin-bottom: 0pt" dir="ltr"gtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtThe provisional selection of the project locations is based on the below:lt/spangtlt/pgtltp style="line-height: 1.2 margin-top: 0pt margin-bottom: 0pt" dir="ltr"gtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtlt/spangtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtltspan style="white-space:pre" class="Apple-tab-span"gt	lt/spangtlt/spangtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtThe most recent mapping (332 localities map attached to this proposal) of socioeconomic vulnerability for Lebanese and other populations  the hospitals available in each area, especially areas which are highlighted in the map as most socioeconomically vulnerable. lt/spangtlt/pgtltp style="line-height: 1.2 margin-top: 0pt margin-bottom: 0pt" dir="ltr"gtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtlt/spangtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtltspan style="white-space:pre" class="Apple-tab-span"gt	lt/spangtlt/spangtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtSAMS historical programmatic data from the years 2022 and half of 2023 on the number of Lebanese and psychiatric patients covered at each location.lt/spangtlt/pgtltp style="line-height: 1.2 margin-top: 0pt margin-bottom: 0pt" dir="ltr"gtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtlt/spangtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtltspan style="white-space:pre" class="Apple-tab-span"gt	lt/spangtlt/spangtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtSAMS feedback about contracted hospitals, in terms of, communication, financial processes  invoicing systems, etc.lt/spangtlt/pgtltp style="line-height: 1.2 margin-top: 0pt margin-bottom: 0pt" dir="ltr"gtltspan style="font-variant-numeric: normal font-variant-east-asian: normal font-variant-alternates: normal vertical-align: baseline"gtThe proposed intervention will also mainstream general  specific protection considerations across all project activities by detecting  decreasing issues  concerns faced by patients such as the confiscation of legal documents and hospitals’ refusal to admit or discharge patients through awareness sessions and MoUs signed with hospitals, as well as through referrals of patients  participants with other needs including protection, shelter, food assistance, medical needs not supported by the project,  others. lt/spangtlt/pgtltpgtltbr class="Apple-interchange-newline"gt

ltbrgtlt/pgt