The Lebanese medical sector barely emerges from one crisis before falling into another, due to the financial collapse the country is experiencing and the shortage of liquidity. After raising concerns over the acute shortage of medicines and medical supplies, the Medical Association of Lebanon in Beirut and the north, along with the Association of Private Hospitals in Lebanon, announced a general strike and a complete work stoppage on Thursday and Friday at clinics, health centers, and hospitals, except for emergency cases. This action is in "rejection of the policies of the Central Bank of Lebanon and the Association of Banks regarding depositors in general, and doctors and health sector workers and hospitals specifically."
Additionally, employees of the Bent Jbeil Government Hospital announced an open-ended strike and will refrain from receiving patients, except for emergency cases and dialysis, until they receive their rights, which they have previously announced in their protests. This sector, which has long held leading positions in the Middle East, is facing various crises that have led to the emigration of thousands of doctors and nurses and the closure of many pharmacies, amid serious warnings about the closure of several hospitals that "can no longer cover their expenses and pay their employees."
Suleiman Haroun, head of the Association of Private Hospitals, attributes the strike to "the policies and procedures of the banks that do not allow hospitals to access their funds in cash, while owners are forced to secure cash to purchase medicines, medical supplies, diesel, and all other purchases, in addition to salaries that banks refuse to transfer, requiring cash to be provided by us, rendering all our accounts, whether in lira or dollars, practically worthless." Haroun noted in a statement to "Asharq Al-Awsat" that "despite requiring patients to pay part of their bills in cash, this amounts to no more than 25% of the hospital's expenses, while the Ministry of Health, the National Social Security Fund, and military medical services pay their bills through bank transfers that we cannot benefit from." He explained that "hospitals have been suffering under this crisis for over four months, and we have approached the banks and the central bank, which are tossing responsibility back and forth, while the Minister of Health and the Prime Minister intervened without any positive outcome."
