BEIRUT: Lebanon’s private hospitals warned Sunday that they will not continue providing services to patients on welfare unless the government starts paying back its dues of more than $113 million, and increases the payments in line with increased expenses.
“The hospitals are unable to continue providing medical and hospitalization services in light of the fares paid for these services and the delay in paying financial dues by the public insurance institutions,” said a statement released by the Private Hospitals League.
“The low financial fares are costing the hospitals losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and this is pushing many hospitals to stop receiving some patients with non-urgent cases,” it said.
To cover such losses, the hospitals called on the public insurance institutions to increase the fares paid for treatments, to keep up “with the rise in the prices of medicines, fuel, electricity, wages, nutrition and worldwide prices of medical equipment and machineries.”
The hospitals said they will have to reduce the services provided to patients on who rely on the National Social Security Fund, the Health Ministry or Cooperative of Public Sector Employees, to emergencies only if the Health Ministry fails to pay back its dues.
“Since the year 2000, more than LL170 billion in financial [debt] has been accumulated on the Health Ministry alone,” the statement said, demanding the Cabinet quickly issues the treasury bonds set to cover the debt amount.
The hospitals warned against continuing the “destructive health policy” that affected Lebanese citizens who depend on welfare aid for their hospitalization, and especially the residents of the north, south and the Bekaa.
“The dependence rate on public healthcare among the residents of these areas is more than 95 percent,” the league said, "while not more than five percent of the Bekaa and Akkar residents benefit from the services of private insurance companies.”
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