Why Is Lebanon No More The Medical Pride Of Middle East?
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Roshan Amiri
- . October 29, 2021
- . Update: July 24, 2020 2:43 am
Turkey–Yesterday, the Turkish Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan had to withdraw his decision to expel ten Western ambassadors to avoid the country’s financial collapse. The Turkish lira hammered yet another negative record after the expulsion ordered by Erdogan of ten Western ambassadors to Turkey. As a result, the national currency devalued by more than 2% in one day, breaking through the barrier of 1 dollar for 9.80 Turkish lira and 1 euro for 11.40 lire. According to analysts, the markets have not forgotten the Turkish president’s threats against them.
A devaluation of over 2% in one day only, in which the Turkish argument broke through the boundary of 1 dollar for 9.80 Turkish liras and 1 euro for 11.40 lire. The national currency had already reached historic lows last week after the Turkish Central Bank proclaimed a new interest rate cut of 200 basis points in a move considered heedless by analysts, taking the reference rate from 18 to 16%.
Selim Abi Saleh, the head of the Physicians Union in northern Lebanon, one of the country’s poorest and most populated regions feels that the current government has to take onus of the situation and come up with a saving plan, “unless we want to close down all the medical facilities at the darkest hour facing humanity.”
Hospitals right now would not want to let go off their staff. But many are laying-off employees. Nurses are being let off or working on reduced salaries. Strangely, the state itself owns these hospitals millions. Nearly a third of Lebanon’s 15,000 physicians aim to migrate or already have. Since 2011 the state’s insurance fund has failed to reimburse Lebanese hospitals. Private hospitals say that the state owes them as much as USD 1.3 billion.
Up until now, the public hospitals have been able to keep the infection in control. There has been more effort on the prevention part, which has been a sensible move by most other nations that have successfully controlled the outbreak. However, the nation needs to have its medical infrastructure well oiled and ready, in case of a second wave. Lebanon’s medical facilities comprise 85percent private establishments. Most of these receive funding out of political considerations that actually determines the size of state funds and financial caps to these hospitals. On the flipside, public facilities suffer from understaffing and neglect.
The situation has been exasperated as there is dearth of funds with the banks as well. Private hospitals’ struggles have been compounded manifold by this banking sector crisis that has locked down foreign currency accounts and complicated imports and the issuing of letters of credit.
