Sibline hospital staff in Chouf assaulted by relatives of a patient

BEIRUT — Medical staff at Sibline public hospital (Chouf) were physically assaulted on hospital grounds by relatives of a patient, members of a family displaced from South Lebanon.

Contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, Iqlim al-Kharoub MP Bilal Abdallah, a member of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), confirmed that an investigation has been launched by security forces after a complaint was filed by the hospital administration.

"What happened last night at Sibline hospital goes against all ethical standards, as well as the culture and traditions of our region. The persistence of assaults and violations against medical staff — whatever the reasons given — is a disgraceful act. We are calling on the justice system and security forces to impose the harshest penalties on those responsible," said the MP, a member of the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc.

'Repeated tensions in hospitals'

The hospital’s director, Rabih Seifeddine, also condemned in a statement "the assault suffered by the emergency department staff at the hands of a patient’s relatives," describing the act as "a flagrant violation of the dignity of medical teams" and a "violation of the sanctity of the healthcare establishment and its humanitarian mission."

According to a Sibline municipal employee reached by our publication, the incident stemmed from a misunderstanding over coverage for a CT scan the patient was supposed to undergo. The patient, originally from the Sibline area, is married to a man from the South who has been displaced to the Chouf region along with several relatives, who are said to be behind the violence. They believed the scan would be fully covered by the Health Ministry, which provides coverage for displaced people—a claim hospital staff could not verify.

The inability to confirm the coverage in the system reportedly sparked tensions that escalated into a dispute and then physical assaults on several hospital staff members. “Some people receive full coverage and pay nothing, while others have to pay part of the costs — sometimes up to 15%. This ambiguity causes misunderstandings and repeated tensions in hospitals,” the official said.

The municipality, like MP Bilal Abdallah, stressed the need “not to stigmatize an entire region or specific population,” adding that pressure on medical facilities due to the influx of more than a million displaced people from the South across the country is affecting all citizens.