Day after day, the fragile and dangerous state of the hospitals in Lebanon is becoming more and more evident.
With the current drastic fuel shortage, the glaring exodus of doctors and nurses to other countries, and the severe lack or even absence of equipment and medicine, among others, the hospitals in Lebanon are fearing an imminent collapse.
Firass Abiad, the head of the Rafik Hariri University Hospital, shared some of his Whatsapp conversations showcasing the current state of the hospitals.
One conversation revealed that “there are no places inside the ER” of one hospital and another that there is a severe shortage of antibiotics in another hospital.
Firass Abiad also tweeted that “hospitals are barely able to keep their generators running due to fuel shortages, vital meds are not available, and morale among healthcare workers is at its lowest”.
He added that the hospitals “still have not received their dues for treating Covid patients during the December outbreak”. He also questioned the hospitals’ ability to deal with the new possible COVID-19 surge.
Obviously, the current rise of the COVID-19 cases, particularly with the novel variants, signals a new wave that can lead to the collapse of Lebanon’s health sector in general and hospitals in specific.
At this critical stage, the salvation of the hospitals could happen with the funds Lebanon is set to receive from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It amounts to $836 million and the Health Minister had earlier announced that it would be allocated to the hospital sector.
