REPORT: Death wanders by the doors of Lebanon's hospitals

               
The Ministry of Health and private hospitals are denying responsibility for the death of 2-year-old baby Mo’men Khaled al-Mohammad after he was refused treatment at several hospitals across northern Lebanon.     

Dar Al Shifaa Hospital, the last hospital to deny the patient entry, declared that it is not responsible for the death of Mohammad, stating that he did not appear ill at the time his father had brought him into the emergency unit.

The General Manager of the hospital Ahmad Khaled asserted during a press conference held in Tripoli on Thursday, that the baby's case was "not urgent upon examination". He considered that the financial issue was deliberately mentioned, and has no grounds since the cost for treatment was not discussed except after the baby's father insisted on the hospital to receive the child at the expense of Ministry of Public Health.        

The hospital's administration called on the Minister of Public Health to study this file again according to the "true and accurate data", in order to annul his decision of halting cooperation with the hospital.           

Two year-old Mo'men Khaled Al Mohammad died on Tuesday from Meningitis after several Tripoli and northern hospitals refused to treat him because his family could not afford the cost of the care, the National News Agency reported.         

"The child's parents went from one hospital to another to no avail,” the NNA explained.           

Momen, who hails from Borj al-Arab town in the northern city of Akkar, was buried on Tuesday afternoon.           

This incident comes after Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil announced on Monday that hospitals will stop treating patients at the ministry's cost because “efforts to issue a decree in this regard could not be reached”.        

Khalil however, stated that the ministry will resume covering these expenses soon after.