Private hospitals ask for State help

L'Orient-Le Jour

18-07-2025

Several representatives of the Lebanese private hospital sector called on the state Thursday to support institutions they describe as being at the end of their rope.
After six years of crisis and war, also marked by the deadly explosion that destroyed much of Beirut and its port on Aug. 4, 2020, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic.
"It's not just restaurants and hotels that are suffering, as we hear in the media [...] If a restaurant closes, ten others open right after. But if a hospital closes, 400 people are sent home, and no other hospital opens in its place," said Rima Bikhazi, director of Bikhazi Medical Group.
It was at this facility in the Hamra district that the president of the Order of Physicians Elias Shlela, the president of the Hospital Owners' Syndicate Pierre Yared, and Abir Kurdi, president of the Order of Nurses, presented the sector's difficulties and grievances. The medical director of Bikhazi Medical Group also shared his testimony.
"We call on the state [...] to think of us," insisted Bikhazi, calling for the development of a comprehensive support plan for private hospitals, in order to "protect a Lebanese medical system in danger."
In addition to the cost of the destruction caused by Israeli bombings in South Lebanon, the Bekaa and also some parts of Beirut, and by the port explosion, other issues cited were: the price of energy, rising costs of medical supplies and medications, and the departure of part of the medical workforce from the country.
"These are problems that have been going on for years," agreed Pierre Yared, who was elected a few weeks ago as head of the syndicate.
The participants all made the same observation. They affirm that, "contrary to popular belief," in the words of Yared, hospitals face ever-increasing costs, which threatens their ability to invest in quality equipment, retain their most skilled staff, and replace those who have been poached abroad in recent years, both doctors and nurses, as emphasized by Shlela and Abir Kurdi.
Shlela noted that the crisis had led to the appearance of medical deserts and warned that some doctors living in rural areas had also suffered heavily from the consequences of the crisis and war.
Kurdi, for her part, explained that the departure of the most experienced nurses had also affected hospitals' ability to train their potential replacements. "The nurses who left have not been replaced," she added.
Insurers were particularly singled out for "delays in payments" of several months for services covered by their clients' policies, which throws hospital finances out of balance.
Contacted by L'Orient Today, the president of the Association of Insurance Companies of Lebanon (ACAL), Assad Mirza, said this problem was not systemic and affected only certain companies, with which hospitals are free to cut ties.
Yared emphasized that his syndicate wants to address the situation directly and has begun a tour of officials, which started in Baabda with a visit to President Joseph Aoun, who expressed his support. He also urged Economy Minister Amer Bisat to strengthen oversight of insurers, since the Insurance Control Commission is attached to this ministry.
Channels of discussion have also been opened with the management of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to review hospitalization rates, in order to obtain a uniform and up-to-date database, which would avoid disagreements with insurance companies over certain rates and how they are covered.
Participants also asked the state to subsidize energy costs for hospitals, whether for fuel bills consumed by private generators or electricity paid to Électricité du Liban (EDL), to also subsidize medical supplies and medications, by reducing customs duties, and to open up access to subsidized loans so hospitals can renew their medical equipment.