The Nurses' and Nurse Practitioners' Syndicate held a protest today, Tuesday, in front of the Private Hospitals Syndicate, attended by a large number of professionals in the field, former nursing union heads, council and committee members, and representatives from health professions unions. Syndicate head Rima Sassin Qazan stated, "We did not expect that nurses and nurse practitioners, who sacrificed since the onset of the financial crisis, through the COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut Port explosion, would have to take to the streets to demand their rights." She added, "We did not expect that nurses and nurse practitioners, who played a crucial role in the resilience of hospitals and the health sector in Lebanon over the past years despite harsh conditions, would have to beg for their rights to a decent life and defend their livelihood."
MP Elias Grady joined the protesters and reaffirmed his support for the rights of nurses and nurse practitioners, emphasizing that "society cannot function and health cannot endure without them." He expressed his readiness "to support any legislative project for pension fund resources to ensure health and social protection for professionals in the field."
The protesters raised slogans denouncing the position of the Private Hospitals Syndicate and calling for "immediate salary corrections." They expressed their discontent and rejection of the "painful reality that nursing in Lebanon has reached," urging officials, particularly the Minister of Health, "to intervene in order to secure their legitimate rights."
