“Fondation Diane” and “Hotel-Dieu de France” Open the 1st Social Pediatric Clinic in Lebanon

Under the patronage of the Ministry of Public Health, “Fondation Diane” and “Hotel-Dieu de France” organized the inauguration of the “Clinique Sociale de l’Enfant” at the heart of HDF; a one-of-a-kind social pediatric clinic for all children in Lebanon, especially the underprivileged ones, from birth till adulthood, regardless of their nationality and almost for free!

Under the title of “Equal Quality Medical Care for All Children in Lebanon”, the ceremony was held in the presence of local and regional key figures from the public and private sector including the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Mrs. Joanna Wronecka, the Unicef Representative in Lebanon, Mr. Edouard Beigbeder, the Lebanese Former Minister of State, Mr. Roger Dib, the Lebanese Former Minister for Displaced Persons, the judge Alice Chaptini, the Judge at the Lebanese Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Marise Amm, His Excellency the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Firass Abiad represented by the Director of the Medical Healthcare Directorate, Dr. Joseph Helou, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of HDF, Professor Salim Daccache s.j., the Director General of HDF, Mr. Nassib Nasr, as well as the Founder & President of “Fondation Diane”, Mrs. Diana Fadel, and the press.

The event was animated by an exceptional performance of the “One Harmony” team from “Tania Kassis Academy” who sang from the bottom of their hearts, and gave hope to the Lebanese children. It also hosted a painting exhibition by the renowned artist Vera Mokbel who added her special touch.

It is the 1st Center of its kind to offer diagnosis, vaccinations, preventive & curative care and psychological support. Open to all families residing in Lebanon, the clinic offers pediatric consultations mostly for marginalized children to help them have access to a medical care of high value, in a context of skyrocketing living costs, through Hotel-Dieu de France, a trustworthy hospital center.

Through this milestone, “Fondation Diane” aims to continuously act within the direction of its mission, towards Sustainable Development, through contributing to “Reduced Inequalities” (SDG10) and ensuring “Good health & Well-being” (SDG3).

By the end of the ceremony, Mrs. Fadel was honored with a trophy from Father Daccache for the great impact of her unparalleled initiative and its positive repercussions on the national level. Then, the inauguration was concluded with a quick tour inside the clinic; an enjoyable and relaxing space with a carefully crafted interior design to meet the aspirations of the children, keep them relaxed, enhance their moods, and drive their intellectual skills.

Mr. Nasr confirmed that HDF is moving forward again after the dark times of the covid-19, the Beirut blast as well as the ongoing crisis. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of HDF, he mentioned the significant achievements that have crowned the year 2022: “We are modernizing the hospital, improving our procedures, analyzing patient experience to optimize satisfaction, service, access to information and follow-up. We expanded our network by including two prestigious hospitals”.

Then, he highlighted the most recent accomplishment: the partnership with Fondation Diane to create the Clinique Sociale de l’Enfant… “to help poor families overcome the ever-increasing costs of high quality medical care”. He concluded: “I would like to thank Mrs. Diana Fadel and Fondation Diane’s team for their generosity & devotion to the children’s well-being”.

Mrs. Fadel caught the audience’s attention with a shocking speech, describing the suffering of the people in Lebanon who are barely receiving any form of basic human rights amidst the multidimensional crisis and economic meltdown.

She continued by saying: “It only takes a spark to start a big fire (Dante)… a small action can bring a great change.

This is how the idea of the clinic was born!

What’s better that an unrivaled initiative, with a long-term effect, to safeguard the health and well-being of our children, the most vulnerable segment of the population?

Fondation Diane has offered the clinic in the space generously provided and managed by HDF. However, there are still a lot of services to offer for free to our dear children.”

She concluded by sensitizing the audience: “the protection of our children is a common responsibility for all of us. The smallest contribution would warm the hearts of the needy children. Think of the medical care, supplementary vaccines, and additional treatments that they would receive thanks to your support. Be generous and you will have your pockets lighter and your hearts at ease”.

In his intervention, Pr Salim Daccache s.j. stated that nowadays the clinic was an absolute necessity and confirmed that it will be a refuge to the majority of families in Lebanon: “Amongst 5 million citizens residing in Lebanon, and taking into consideration the 0 to 18 years as the child age range; our clinic would take care of 40% of the population. He added: “our goal is to look after each and every child in the country with absolutely no racial or social discrimination”.

He continued: “The development of this clinic, in light of the challenging circumstances, is a solid proof that the people should never give up on facing difficulties and challenging the impossible… I would like to thank all those who worked hard for this project to see the light, especially Mrs. Diana Fadel and Fondation Diane’s team who made this dream become a reality”.

Last but not least, Dr. Helou concluded the ceremony by saying: “I would like to salute the heroes who worked tirelessly for the past 3 years in the medical sector”. He explained that many people and families are still in need, but the ministry is unable to solely provide financing. Hereby, he stressed on the importance of the collective efforts and called for the solidarity of organizations to back hospitals, similarly to Fondation Diane’s great support to HDF, being a role model to other NGOs.

He continued: “The strategy of the ministry is to provide full support to this clinic we are inaugurating today because it would decrease the need for hospitalization”.