El- Helou from the Domaine Du Rocher Center for Elderly Care: Lebanon ranks first in the Middle East and 32nd in the world regarding public sector services.
MP Frem: Our mission is to benefit from personal successes in the private sector to achieve collective successes in the public sector.
Under the patronage of his Excellency the Minister of Public Health Mr. Ghassan Hasbani represented by Dr. Joseph El- Helou, the Domaine Du Rocher Center for the Elderly, located in Harissa, was inaugurated on Thursday evening, July 26th, 2018.
The ceremony was attended by the representative of his Beatitude Patriarch Al-Rahi Father Youhanna Maroun Kawik, the Patriarchal Vicar, the priests of Daroun and Harissa, the nuns owners of medical institutions, the MP. Neemat Frem, the MP. Hikmat Dib, the former MP. Dr. Nabil Nicolas, the French MP. Dr. Martin Weiner, the president of the municipality of Daroun, the President of the Order of Physiotherapists in Lebanon Dr. Tony Abboud, the owners of hospitals, physicians of all specialties, and media representatives.
After visiting the four-story center and hearing carefully the explanations of the owner of the project Mr.Gustav Fayyad about the specifications and characteristics of the Domaine Du Rocher Center as well as the equipment, modern techniques and services provided by it, the audience listened to the speech of the patron of the ceremony Minister Hasbani given by Dr. Joseph Helou, who supported this project and wished that the Ministry of Health provide these centers with financial support and partially cover any costs and added: “According to Bloomberg in 2018, Lebanon ranked first in the Middle East and 32nd in the world in health services surpassing the United States of America which came in the 34th position. He concluded his speech by saying: “If politics remains like this, politicians will end up here because they will suffer from Alzheimer disease.”
The speech of the Minister of Health was preceded by a welcome speech from Mr. Fayad, the owner of this project, who talked about the goal behind the establishment of this center which is to meet the needs of the Lebanese society lacking high-quality elderly care centers at all levels and contribute to the growth of medical tourism.
The MP. Neemat Frem considered that the Domaine Du Rocher can create job opportunities for young men and women who are the wealth and treasure of Lebanon. He also focused in his speech on the individual initiatives which were taken by the private sector and helped Lebanon survive all crises. He added: “Our objective as Members of Parliament is to take advantage of personal successes achieved by individuals in the private sector and transform them into collective successes in the public sector. This is our mission.”
The presenter of the ceremony, Dr. Joyce Boustani, who is a specialist in geriatrics, spoke of the importance of the location overlooking the bay of Jounieh and characterized by a breathtaking view that helps elderly people live in a healthy environment.
The French MP. Dr. Martin Weiner and vice-chairman of the Committee for Christian Affairs, who attended the opening of the center expressed her joy for being among the Lebanese people in such occasion especially that she is the vice-president of the Francophone Parliamentary Assembly. She talked about the importance of this special and unique center, the first of its kind in Lebanon and in cooperation with a French medical staff. She also focused on the importance of providing physical and psychological care to elderly people.
The president of the municipality of Daroun Mr. Nizar El-Chemali wished Mr. Fayyad success in his project and offered the municipality’s support and said: “there is no fear over this project especially that it is surrounded by the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon and its blessing and the Patriarchal Seat in Bkerke”. He wished that all present deputies work on solving the traffic problem in Jounieh to ensure the growth and development of such projects.
All the participants in this ceremony drank a toast at a buffet organized on the terrace of the center overlooking Jounieh bay.