BEIRUT: Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan Wednesday said Syria would supply Lebanon with 75 tons of oxygen, which would provide immediate relief to hospitals that are facing shortages.

"After hospitals ran out of oxygen, we contacted the Syrian Health Ministry to ask for help and the response was very fast," Hasan said.

Hasan was in Damascus Wednesday where he met with his Syrian counterpart Hasan al-Ghabash to ask for help in securing oxygen.

Lebanon will receive 75 tons of oxygen, enough to last for three days, Hasan said.

The minister added that there were currently 1,000 patients on ventilators in Lebanon and the amount of oxygen available in the country would last only a day.

"We thank President [Bashar] Assad for securing oxygen because he is helping rescue Lebanon from a catastrophe and [helping] save the lives of many Lebanese."

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