United Nations releasing $9 million to help Beirut hospitals

The United Nations says it is releasing $9 million to address immediate needs following the explosion that devastated Beirut and help strengthen operations in the city's hospitals.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said on Thursday the money from the Lebanese Humanitarian Fund will be following by additional funds from the U.N.'s Central Emergency Response Fund.

He said the U.N. is carrying out assessments of the damage and needs resulting from the massive explosion and hopes to hold a meeting on Monday to inform the 193 U.N. member states of the results and launch an appeal to help Lebanon.

He says: “We're trying to get the relevant figures ready as soon as we can.” Haq said the World Health Organization reported that the blast left three hospitals unusable and two others with substantial damage and that “the equivalent of 500 hospital beds have been lost." He said the initial $9 million will be used to expand and establish additional intensive care units where needed and provide trauma kits, ventilators, medical supplies and medicine.

WHO will help “cover 1,000 trauma interventions and 1,000 surgical interventions for people suffering from burns and wounds caused by glass and other debris resulting from the blast.”