As Lebanon’s hospitals face an overwhelming amount of patients due to a surge in coronavirus numbers, Qatar has stepped in to help with a field hospital in the north of the country.

Lebanese mayor of Tripoli Dr. Riad Yamak announced plans to establish a Qatari health project in the north of the country, as the battle to combat the novel coronavirus continues to rage.

During a meeting held at the municipality palace, the mayor said the Lebanese government and Ministry of Public Health agreed to start preparing for the building of the Qatari field hospital, local reports said on Wednesday.

The land for the hospital was offered by an unidentified businessman from the region.

On Wednesday, the mayor inspected the preparations for the infrastructure to build the hospital provided by the state of Qatar. The facility will be built by the Lebanese army, he added. 

Read also: Qatar to donate field hospitals as crises-hit Lebanon braces for lockdown

The Qatari project comes as the pandemic continues to overwhelm the crises-hit country where the number of COVID-19 cases have surged after the holiday season.

Lebanon is also facing an economic crisis.

Authorities announced a national lockdown for three consecutive weeks, including a night curfew from 6pm to 5am starting from Thursday.

This decision is hoped to stem the spread of COVID-19 infections as the healthcare sector faces severe pressure. 

Last year, Qatar sent two field hospitals to Lebanon to Tyre and Tripoli to provide an extra 1,000 beds in total.

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