BEIRUT — Employees of the Rafik Hariri Government Hospital in Beirut held a sit-in outside the Health Ministry on Thursday to demand payment for outstanding bills.

In a statement issued during the protest, the employees warned of potential escalation, emphasizing that their "movement will continue as long as there is no fair solution that grants employees their rights according to the mechanisms in force, in order to avoid further paralysis at the establishment."

Bassam Akoum, speaking on behalf of the protesters, called for payment of "the dues of employees who have persevered during the war, despite Lebanon’s ongoing economic hardship." He also called for "the decrees to be enforced." The war in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated from September to November 2024, heavily impacted Beirut and its health sector. Lebanon has also been facing a severe economic and financial crisis since 2019.

Akoum accused the Health Ministry of "seeking to humiliate employees and destroy the hospital, which played a pivotal role during the Covid-19 pandemic"  between 2020 and 2022. He also criticized the hospital's management for allegedly threatening to dismiss employees who refuse to report to work.

"The management of the establishment has today threatened to dismiss employees who refuse to go to work," he said, calling on caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati "to intervene personally to prevent this systematic destruction of the hospital."

Abdellatif Issa, another protester, accused Beirut MPs and local associations of failing to mobilize to support the hospital. He noted that a decree granting 200 billion liras to employees could resolve the issue if it were enforced.

At the conclusion of the sit-in, the protesters distributed a statement clarifying that "the strike has never been an end in itself for them, but a means of pressure to obtain their rights when they find themselves in an impasse." They urged the Health Ministry to "do everything possible to enforce the decrees and recognize staff efforts during crises."

They also accused the ministry of "marginalizing the hospital" and ignoring their warnings about alleged "breaches of the law committed there," though no further details were provided.