Lebanon’s hospitals on the brink as COVID cases surge

Raya Jalabi -

A drastic rise in COVID-19 infections has pushed Lebanon’s hospitals to the edge, and experts warn they will soon be unable to cope as the country buckles under a succession of devastating crises.

Lebanon’s healthcare system was already struggling before several hospitals were badly damaged by a massive explosion at the port of Beirut in early August.

Now medical supplies are dwindling thanks to a shortage of dollars due to an ongoing financial crisis, doctors are emigrating in droves, and fears are growing that subsidies on medicines might soon be lifted.

“At the moment, COVID-19 in Lebanon is not under control,” said Firass Abiad, who runs Beirut’s Rafik Hariri University hospital, the largest coronavirus facility in the country.

“We are seeing a high positivity rate relative to testing.”

Lebanon registered a record 1,321 new daily infections over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total to more than 43,000 cases while the death toll stands at 398. The numbers are low by global standards, but intensive care units have reached a critical 82 per cent of capacity, according to the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, the virus continues to spread in Lebanon’s overcrowded prisons, public hospitals and densely packed cities, where mask-wearing remains lax. “If we continue with this exponential growth, I don’t think we’ll last more than a couple of weeks,” said Dr Eveline Hitti, chair of the emergency department at the American University in Beirut’s Medical Center.

Lebanon was praised for containing the spread early in the pandemic, averaging fewer than 100 daily cases until August. But as the country’s woes began to multiply, concerns over the coronavirus took a backseat.

Lebanon is facing its worst crisis since its 1975-1990 civil war. Its banking system has been paralysed since last year, its currency has crashed by 80 per cent, and banks have severely restricted withdrawals. The financial meltdown was compounded by the explosion on August 4 that wrecked a swathe of Beirut, killing nearly 200 people and damaging several hospitals.

The government has for years owed hospitals millions in arrears. Their unpaid bills are mounting. Doctors said that patients at some hospitals were struggling to pay bills. Some hospitals have doubled prices to keep up with hyperinflation, while others have furloughed staff. — Reuters