There have been increased talks that pacemaker devices, which are devices that use electrical pulses to prompt the heart to beat a normal rate, are nowhere to be seen in Lebanese hospitals.
Claim: Pacemaker devices are now completely absent in Lebanese hospitals.
Verdict: False, but not entirely. They are only available upon special requests.
Context: The961 got in contact with Dr. Zuhair Chaaban, who is a cardiologist that alternates in his job between his own clinic and Nabatieh Governmental Hospital, to ask him about this issue.
Dr. Chaaban said that pacemaker devices are unavailable in almost all Lebanese hospitals but they can be provided upon special requests from the patients who need them.
Dr. Chaaban explained this by saying that those devices can only be bought in fresh US dollars, which is prompting hospitals to abstain from taking this financial risk that they cannot bear.
Those devices are imported from foreign companies. “The cost of this device starts from $2,500 and can go up to $8,000,” added Dr. Chaaban.
This device can be lifesaving for some people, which makes its extreme scarcity a serious catastrophe.
All hospitals in Lebanon are suffering from shortages in supplies as the economic crisis in the country worsens.
