Hospital syndicate voices concerns over lack of funds

The Syndicate of Hospitals in Lebanon considered on Monday that hospitals are currently exposed to a serious dilemma that directly threatens patients' health.  

In a statement, the Syndicate indicated that importers impose on it to pay for medicines in cash, rejecting bank checks, while banks do not provide the necessary money for hospitals, primarily since the Central Bank (BDL) does not provide the required cash liquidity.  

After reviewing the stakeholders at Central Bank (BDL), "we were offered to secure LBP 90 billion per month to secure the wages of employees and buy medicines, which is a minimal amount compared to what is required to be secured, which amounts to hundreds of billions per month."   

The statement added that the Syndicate had asked BDL to secure a minimum of LBP 200 billion per month, which allows them to partially run things and prevent a significant crisis represented by hospitals' inability to provide their employees' wages and their failure to buy medicine for patients.  

"Unfortunately, our request has not been well received […] We clearly warn that hospitals cannot provide medicines to patients who will have to buy them at their expense, no matter who covers the costs of their hospitalization," the Syndicate voiced.  

It concluded that the Central Bank should immediately secure the required liquidity to help the suffering patients, adding that it is not permissible to plunge into a new problem akin to a health disaster.