The head of the Syndicate of Hospital Owners, Suleiman Haroun, revealed that Lebanon can no longer secure a medical treatment at the level of developed countries, pointing out that a study prepared by the Syndicate and submitted to the official guarantors, showed that each increase of 1,000 pounds to the dollar price on the black market is reflected by 500 pounds on the hospital dollar.

In an interview with LBCI, Haroun indicated that there is an implicit acknowledgment by the guarantors that they are unable to bear the cost of hospitalization.

He announced that the price of the medical equipment has tripled, asking: “In this situation, what can we do other than let the patient pay the differences?”.

He explained that there is no shortage of all medical supplies, but rather some of them, stressing that the problem lies in their price, “especially the medical implants, for example protese or ressrot, whose prices have become 3 times higher”.

Haroun stressed that hospitals are losing their financial capabilities day after day. “How long can we continue? We do not know”, he said.

He stressed that cases that pose a threat to the patient’s life are a red line, pointing out that “we are morally obligated to ease the danger on the patient in this case, otherwise we would have heard about hundreds of deaths daily for not receiving the necessary treatment in hospitals.”

Haroun pointed out that the union has made contacts with international bodies, such as the World Bank and the World Health Organization, noting that “the answer is clear, which is to form a government that begins with reforms, and then comes the support.”

He talked about the diesel crisis, declaring that hospitals receive enough for two days, as a maximum, of this substance, meaning that they provide their needs day by day. He said: We are in a downward trend and the impasse is political.

As for insurance companies, he said: The cost of medical care is higher than what the insurance company can secure through the policies it gives to citizens.