HOSPITALS IN LEBANON ( a UN Report)

Humanitarian news and analysis
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs


Wednesday 05 March 2008

BEIRUT, Much like its political landscape, Lebanon’s healthcare system is grounded in sectarianism. It has also become increasingly privatised since the end of the civil war (1975-1990), pricing many citizens out of basic treatment.

According to a December 2007 report by the Lebanon government in conjunction with the World Health Organization, of the over 1,500 beds in some 15 state hospitals, just 300 are functioning. By comparison, Lebanon has 175 private hospitals with around 14,500 functioning beds. They are generally considered to have more modern facilities and provide a higher standard of healthcare.

Abed Akkawi and Salah Eddine Azawi talk about their experiences of Lebanon’s healthcare system.

e9 HOSPITALS TRANSFERS

The amounts transferred by the Ministry of Finance to the Hospitals during the past three years, according to the MOF, were as follows:

Year 2004: 236 billion Lebanese pounds
Year 2005: 192 billion Lebanese pounds
Year 2006: 223 billion Lebanese pounds

We can provide no immediate explanation for the disparity in these figures, except invoke possibly the fact that certain expenses incurred during one year remain unpaid and are deferred to subsequent years. We do not know the exact total amount owed by the government to the hospitals to date. Several figures have been quoted in the press. We would like the government to reveal this amount as soon as possible for the sake of total transparency and also because the future deficit in the hospitalization budget could well exceed the present one at EDL and create an even bigger problem.

e9 HOSPITALS TRANSFERS