Launched in October 2012, the programme was initially planned to end in March 2014. However, it was prolonged to the end of 2014 amid a pressing need for medical services in targeted regions.

The objective of the programme is to cover surgery and medication costs for Syrian refugees, particularly the wounded cases moved from Syria to northern Lebanon. For this purpose, the QRC mission signed contracts with five local hospitals.

Having cost $2.8mn till the end of March, the budget of the project was augmented with an additional $2.7mn to finance medical care services from April to December 2014.

QRC secretary-general Saleh bin Ali al-Mohannadi explained that the eight-month extension was to make up for the lack of government assistance for refugees not registered with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and declining healthcare coverage for those already registered.

Under the programme, QRC provided large-scale medical assistance to more than 10,000 Syrians so far, 86% of whom were UNHCR-registered and received partial medication coverage from QRC, while the remaining 14% UNHCR-uncovered refugees were fully funded by QRC.

The medical mission enabled the treatment of 480 cardiovascular patients, who underwent major and, sometimes, serial surgeries at the contracted hospitals. Another 224 injuries, some of which were critical, were successfully medicated by QRC at a time when other international organisations were standing inactive.

QRC has recently stepped up humanitarian and medical operations in favour of Syrian refugees in different countries of displacement, such as Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan. With its successful health programmes launched and implemented in co-operation with the Office of the UNHCR, QRC was given a leading role by the UN agency and other international organisations in managing health and food relief groups working in northern Lebanon.