Dongmyeong Unit in Lebanon treats 130,000th patient

Since 2007, the Dongmyeong Unit, deployed in Lebanon as part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission, has treated 130,000 local residents—a major milestone.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 58-year-old Rokaya Faqih became the 130,000th patient treated by the Dongmyeong medical team on Thursday.

“For people like us who don’t have proper access to hospitals, the Dongmyeong Unit’s medical support is truly a great gift,” she said.

Lebanese health authorities and local agencies have also expressed their appreciation for the unit’s dedicated support. The region in southern Lebanon, where the unit is deployed, suffers from a severely disrupted healthcare system due to frequent conflicts.

The unit’s medical team, made up of specialists in internal medicine, dentistry, and plastic surgery, travels to five villages twice a week, treating about 30 people per day.

The dental bus operated by the unit is the only mobile dental facility within the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and has received widespread praise from local residents, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.


Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com