Employees of the Rafic Hariri University Governmental Hospital protested in front of the Ministry of Public Health on Thursday, demanding overdue wages and accountability in hospital administration.
They urged Caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad to “honor decrees and pay dues to employees who risked their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
They also accused the ministry of attempting to “humiliate the staff,” treating them as undervalued despite their critical contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
They emphasized that the administration had threatened to fire employees participating in the demonstration, calling Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to “halt the hospital's destruction.” The employees also called for audits due to alleged mismanagement.
They also criticized Beirut’s parliamentarians for neglecting the hospital, citing a stalled 200 billion Lebanese Pounds funding decree. “If those funds had been paid, the hospital would be thriving,” Issa noted.
In a statement, the Committee of Employees, Contractors and Workers emphasized that strikes were a last resort.
“The ministry, which holds direct authority over the hospital, should secure employees’ rights and acknowledge their dedication during crises, including recent damage caused by conflict. Instead, it obstructs solutions under legal pretexts while ignoring administrative violations,” the statement read.
Employees called on the ministry to fulfill its oversight role, hold responsible parties accountable and implement solutions to improve conditions. “We will persist until a fair resolution is reached,” they concluded.
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