SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 29 March 2024, Friday |

Hospitals are helpless…Huge gap in medical staff

The Director of Medical Care at the Ministry of Health, Joseph Al-Helou, explained that last year we were able to confront, but if the numbers rose to last year’s level, hospitals are unable to cope, and as a result of the financial situation, patients are heading to governmental hospitals.
Helou said via a radio interview that “the number of Ministry of Health beds in private and governmental hospitals so far, is 597 beds, and 441 intensive care units, and “Omicron” is spreading quickly and the numbers of infections will rise, and hospitals have closed Corona departments due to the large migration of the medical apparatus and the financial situation.”

He added: “The decision to close the country has not yet been taken, but in the event that the numbers of infections rise at the end of the week, then it will be based on what is required.”

In turn, the head of the Syndicate of Private Hospital Owners, Suleiman Haroun, pointed out that “the hospitals which closed the Corona departments will not reopen them, due to the lack of medical staff and the significant increase in the prices of medical supplies compared to last year, and the cost of diesel that we pay monthly is equivalent to the total wages.”

He continued, “We will have a big gap in the medical staff and it will last for several years, and the shortage of medicines is more dangerous than the shortage of hospital beds.”