"Lebanon's healthcare sector a 'bomb waiting to explode', minister says" 7 June 2022

Lebanese healthcare workers are reaching breaking point, health minister Firass Abiad told The National on Tuesday...

An altercation between a hospital director and a nurse on strike over unpaid wages highlighted the deep challenges faced by medical staff in Lebanon’s once-prized hospitals.

Salaries barely cover transport costs to and from work. Hospitals cannot obtain their funds stuck in banks and are threatening to request payment in cash only. Thousands of employees are believed to have left to work abroad since the start of Lebanon's worst-ever economic crisis in 2019...

"Those who have stayed have now double the workload, resulting in an increase in the physical and mental stress bearing down on them."...

At the heart of the matter lies a deep feeling of under-appreciation among Lebanon’s medical staff, particularly in the public sector. Their situation is similar to other state employees, including soldiers or teachers....