The Healthcare System in Lebanon: Organisation, NSSF, Hospitals, Emergencies, Medicines and Vaccinations

The system rests on three players. The Ministry of Public Health sets the rules, publishes the official list of medicine prices, runs a primary healthcare network and manages the government hospitals. The NSSF (National Social Security Fund) covers sickness-maternity for declared employees. Private establishments complete the offer, together with doctors in private practice. The figures on the split between the public and private sectors can be consulted on the ministry website (moph.gov.lb).

A few World Bank benchmarks: current health expenditure represents 5.57% of GDP in 2023, and households pay 29.7% of it directly (32.43% in 2022). The ministry also publishes epidemiology information, QR-code tracking of medicines (MediTrack) and a national medicines directory.

Lebanon is not among the states linked to France by a social security agreement (CLEISS, the French liaison centre for international social security): the carte Vitale (the French health insurance card) does not work there, and the page on healthcare reimbursement in Lebanon details who pays depending on status.

The NSSF, whose head office is on Baghdad street in Beirut, has a sickness-maternity branch, an end-of-service indemnity branch and a family allowances branch. Its website shows, on 04/10/2026, 409,078 employees, 19,655 voluntary members, 9,538 doctors and 1,273,097 people with health cover. It publishes lists of covered medicines, surgical procedures and medical devices, as well as circulars and information notes.

An employee’s affiliation goes through their employer, who declares the contributions. The 2026 information notes show that the fund sets medical tariffs: an increase in the fees of doctors in private practice (note of 03/02/2026), the tariff for dialysis sessions (note of 08/05/2026) and flat rates for certain procedures (note of 19/02/2026). The conditions of access for a foreign employee, a spouse and a retiree are confirmed with the NSSF (+961 1 700 801), the official texts being published in Arabic on cnss.gov.lb. The fund also has voluntary members; whether they are open to a foreign resident is checked in the same way.

In addition, the CFE (the French social security fund for expatriates) or international insurance take over for non-affiliated profiles; see the guide to the CFE or private insurance.

First contact is organised around general practitioners and specialists in private practice, to which is added the ministry’s primary healthcare network. The latter covers the national vaccination programme, the follow-up of chronic diseases, maternal and child health and reproductive health. The ministry’s general line (1214) provides information on these services.

• Making contact: a consultation in private practice is paid for on the spot, often in dollars; an insurance contract with direct billing avoids having to advance the costs.
• Medical file: bring prescriptions in international non-proprietary names (INN), the vaccination record and useful medical reports.
• French care pathway: without residence in France, the patient is no longer subject to the coordinated care pathway; they consult the doctor of their choice directly, according to their contract.

The Ministry of Public Health keeps a directory of government hospitals, among which the Rafik Hariri public university hospital in Beirut, and offers a tool on its website for locating healthcare establishments. Private establishments complete the system.

One point dominates practice: healthcare facilities systematically check their patients’ ability to pay before undertaking any treatment (France Diplomatie, “Health” section, updated on 15/09/2026). Without a means of payment or a guarantee, access to care may be delayed, including in a life-threatening emergency. The French embassy never covers these costs.

• Contact list: the France Diplomatie “Useful contacts” section lists several hospitals in Beirut (notably in Achrafieh and Hamra) and in Baabda, with their numbers.
• Direct billing: international insurance can guarantee costs directly with the establishment, see direct billing.
• Admission line: the ministry publishes a hospital admission line (01 832 700) for the patients concerned.

Lebanese households themselves pay 29.7% of current health expenditure in 2023 (World Bank): direct payment holds an important place in the system. For a patient insured in France or abroad, the logic is the same: the establishment makes sure of a guarantee before treatment, either through the insurer’s cover or through payment. On the NSSF side, an information note of 02/01/2026 organised advances to hospitals on the hospitalisation files of their insured members, which illustrates the fund’s role in financing establishments.

• Before departure: check that the contract includes Lebanon in its coverage zone, hospitalisation, surgery, evacuation and medical repatriation, as France Diplomatie asks; see coverage ceiling.
• During the stay: keep paid invoices, prescriptions and medical reports; they are used for any reimbursement claim to an insurer, the CFE or a French fund for a seconded employee.
• Planned care: ask for the insurer’s approval before the procedure, according to the contract terms; see prior approval.
• Medical history: declared in the medical questionnaire of international contracts, it determines the exclusions; the CFE does not ask for a health questionnaire. See the guide to medical questionnaire and medical history.

The price lists published by the Ministry of Public Health for medicines change with the exchange rate: the health budget for a stay is therefore established at the time of care, with the establishment and the insurer, rather than on a single national scale.

France Diplomatie lists the following numbers, to be saved on arrival:

• Lebanese Red Cross (emergency medical transport): 140 from within Lebanon, or +961 1 322 985.
• Internal Security Forces: +961 1 425 250 and +961 1 422 000.
• General Security: +961 1 425 610.
• French embassy in Beirut: +961 1 42 00 00.

For serious medical situations, insurance that includes evacuation and medical repatriation usefully complements local care: the French State does not fund these costs, as the Beirut consulate general points out. In case of high fever, cough or breathing difficulties, France Diplomatie advises seeking urgent medical attention.

The Ministry of Public Health publishes the official list of public medicine prices, updated several times a year according to the exchange rate: the September 2026 list applies a rate published on 03/09/2026. QR-code tracking (MediTrack) and the national medicines directory complete the system. The NSSF publishes lists of medicines covered for its insured members.

France Diplomatie recommends putting together a personal medicine kit before departure, bringing only the necessary medicines, in their original packaging with a prescription written in INN, and never taking a medicine bought on the street because of the risk of counterfeits. It is advisable to check that the substances concerned are authorised in the country.

The vaccines recommended in France are essential in Lebanon: diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough and measles. France Diplomatie adds, depending on the length and conditions of the stay, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, rabies (notably for young children and in rural areas), hepatitis B for frequent or prolonged stays and mpox in case of risk exposure. An alert of 16/07/2026 reports a rise in measles cases.

• MERS-CoV: respiratory infection with no vaccine; hand hygiene, avoiding contact with camels and dromedaries.
• Cholera: several cases have been reported in the Akkar region (North); bottled water, peeled fruit and vegetables, cooked food.
• Typhoid fever, zoonotic influenza, rabies: prevention through hygiene, vaccination as appropriate and avoiding suspect animals; in case of a bite, seek medical attention immediately.

Consulting your regular doctor or an international vaccination centre several weeks before departure lets you plan the boosters. Expavy helps you compare contracts that cover this care and evacuation. For the stay as a whole, see the page on living in Lebanon and the Lebanon expat health insurance page.