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Health crisis —

Employees of two public hospitals have commenced an open-ended strike

Employees of two public hospitals that earlier this week warned of their imminent closures if government funding was not forthcoming commenced an open-ended strike Thursday.

Employees of two public hospitals have commenced an open-ended strike

Employees gather in front of Sibline Governmental Hospital as they begin an open-ended strike protesting medical supply shortages and delays in government payments. (Credit: Lyana Alameddine/L’Orient-Le Jour)

BEIRUT — Employees of two public hospitals that earlier this week warned of their imminent closure if government funding was not forthcoming commenced an open-ended strike Thursday.

Both Sibline Governmental Hospital in the Chouf and Shahar Gharbi Governmental Hospital in the Aley district earlier this week said they would be forced to strike over their inability to secure medical supplies amid widespread shortages and to pay their employees.

As striking employees gathered to protest outside the hospital in Sibline on Thursday morning, one of the demonstrators told our sister publication L’Orient Le Jour’s correspondent, who is on ground, that she can no longer afford the cost of transportation to come to work due to the increase in fuel prices.

Last week, the Union of Governmental Hospital Workers warned that health workers are financially, economically and psychologically exhausted and called on the government to pay overdue salaries and raise their living allowances.

“Resources are not unlimited. If the … crisis is not resolved soon, services at other hospitals, including RHUH, will be affected,” head of Rafik Hariri University Hospital Firass Abiad warned Wednesday in a tweet commenting on the potential closure of the two hospitals.

BEIRUT — Employees of two public hospitals that earlier this week warned of their imminent closure if government funding was not forthcoming commenced an open-ended strike Thursday.Both Sibline Governmental Hospital in the Chouf and Shahar Gharbi Governmental Hospital in the Aley district earlier this week said they would be forced to strike over their inability to secure medical supplies amid...