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The explosion of the port of Beirut aggravated the crises that afflicted the hospital sector in Lebanon, after several hospitals were left without work as a result of their partial or total destruction, and consequently hundreds of doctors and nurses lost their jobs, knowing that Before the explosion they expected to reduce their wages, due to the financial crisis that is causing havoc. Below is the country, in addition to the non-payment of its quotas, in addition to withholding its money in the banks, as do the rest of the depositors, with a shortage of dollars in the Lebanese market, according to the daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.
Perhaps what made matters worse is that medical personnel have to work long hours, exposing themselves and their families to danger, with the outbreak of the Corona epidemic, and the record of some 500 cases a day for weeks. Instead of receiving incentives and rewards, as is the case in every country in the world to urge them to remain on the front lines to confront the virus and its spread, the austerity measures taken by private institutions to resist the growing economic crisis and Financial institutions included the medical sector, prompting hundreds of its workers to provide Immigration Applications and response to previous job applications that came through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from countries such as England and Canada.
The head of the Doctors Union, Professor Sharaf Abu Sharaf, reveals that hundreds of doctors have come from the Union to request their files and statements in preparation to leave the country, warning of a real disaster if the bleeding continues in the medical sector. Abu Sharaf highlights the eagerness of the European and American countries, as well as the neighboring Arab countries, to employ Lebanese doctors and nurses, and all workers in the hospital sector, due to their scientific levels and great experience, in addition to the rush to work, noting in a statement to “Asharq Al-Awsat” that the interlocking crises The financial, economic and banking impact on workers in this sector and their families, and the companies that used to contribute to the travel of doctors to participate in Medical congresses abroad refused to do so in the last period due to the crisis, all this led doctors to seek job opportunities outside of Lebanon to ensure a better standard of living. And most importantly, security and stability for their families.
Abu Sharaf explains that a large number of doctors working in Beirut university hospitals are among those who initiated immigration procedures, highlighting: “The Union’s commitment to address this phenomenon and improve working conditions, but the situation is very difficult due to the absence of minimum rights and protection, and fees are paid after years. », In addition to the absence of security after retirement. And he added: “We recently proposed a law to ensure the immunity of the doctor and protect him in the exercise of his profession, and we are also working on other aspects, but the many and successive developments, the most recent of which is the explosion of the port, and the great damage it caused to hospitals in the capital, which aggravated the problem. “
Elias Nicola, head of the dialysis department at Al-Mashreq Hospital, plans to emigrate to join hundreds of other colleagues. He assures Al-Sharq al-Awsat that there are some 5,000 doctors who have left Lebanon, of whom between 500 and 600 have left in recent months. Nicola, who in addition to her Lebanese nationality has French nationality, which facilitates her emigration to France, indicates that the main reasons that lead to the emigration of workers in this field are the long delay in the receipt of quotas, “For example , we are charging in 2020 the 2018 fees after the coin lost its value. Against the dollar, this adds to keeping our money in the banks, and we seek a secure future for our families.
And affiliated with the Medical Union in Beirut 12,500 registered doctors practicing the profession, in addition to 2,500 doctors in the northern regions. There are 16,000 registered nurses in the Union and they face the same challenges as physicians. The Nurses Union, Dr. Mirna Abi Abdullah Doumit, speaks of dozens of requests received from union members to obtain affidavits of affiliation requested by health institutions and hospitals abroad, noting that the emigration of workers in the sector has reached unprecedented levels as a consequence of low wages or non-payment of wages. Leave without pay, in addition to unsafe and unhealthy working conditions.
In a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, Doumit indicated that countries such as Belgium, England, Canada and Qatar have attracted the most workers in the sector. The number of immigrants coming from nurses is likely to increase as other countries open their airports soon, adding: “There are official requests that we receive through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From England and Canada to recruit Lebanese nurses and nurses. The world needs 9 million nurses until 2030, so instead of keeping them here in Lebanon, we are doing nothing to improve their living conditions to stay in their country ”.
On Friday, the Syndicate of Nurses in Lebanon issued a statement, raising the alarm, warning of the “multiplication of the emigration of the nursing workforce with scientific competence and experience in search of working conditions outside of Lebanon, and this is an issue that raises concern for the future of health in Lebanon and the future of the profession. ”
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