The Bar Elias public hospital and its adjacent dispensary are facing the threat of imminent closure as soon as international NGOs discontinue their operation and funding, which would leave residents of the impoverished area without access to vital medical services.
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Doctors Without Borders (MSF) will hand over the hospital to the cash-strapped Lebanese Ministry of Public Health on May 31, as the dispensary ran out of funds after German NGO Humedica ended its coverage of the prime care facility’s expenses.
Dr. Lara Barrak, representative of the Ministry of Public Health in the Bekaa, revealed that Humedica provided funding to cover the dispensary’s running expenses for four months.
“They have discontinued the coverage, which means that I can pay the salaries of 12 medical personnel this month, but it will be very difficult to do so in June unless we get funding,” Barrak told This is Beirut.
“We have a big medical problem in the region, especially in Bar Elias and its vicinity,” she warned.
With the likely closure of the hospital and the dispensary, more than 100,000 people, including some 80,000 Syrian refugees, will be left without access to free medical care.
MP Bilal Abdallah, head of the Parliamentary Health Committee, said MSF has notified the authorities about their decision to hand over the hospital as their contract expires at the end of May with no possibility of extension.
“It is out of the question for them to continue working at the Bar Elias Hospital. Their contract has expired and they want to hand over the hospital,” Abdallah, a member of Taymour Jumblat’s Democratic Gathering bloc, said following a meeting with MSF Head of Mission in Lebanon Julien Raickman.
“Health Minister Firas Abyad is working hard to find alternative solutions and secure funding from other NGOs in order to keep the hospital running, and our parliamentary committee fully supports his endeavors,” Abdallah added.
The Bar Elias Hospital, which has been under the management of MSF for more than five years, provided free general, pediatric, and gynecological surgeries, in addition to intensive and wound care during both the COVID-19 pandemic and a recent cholera outbreak. It ended its surgery services more than a month ago, only maintaining wound care. The latter will be discontinued by the end of May.
The former head of the Parliamentary Health Committee, Assem Araji, who hails from Bar Elias, said he is in constant contact with the Minister of Health to find a solution that ensures the hospital’s continuity.
“We might reach a middle ground, as MSF said they are exploring other options of medical assistance in the area, but there is still no final decision regarding a new project. Such a decision is expected to be made in Brussels next week. We are optimistic,” Araji said.
Araji had repeatedly tried to persuade the organization to extend its contract in view of the Ministry’s financial constraints that prevent it from running the hospital.
“We will issue our stance in cooperation with the community when the time is right if we do not reach a solution that guarantees the continuation of medical services for the people of Bar Elias and neighboring areas. The hospital is vital for the region, which has become overcrowded with some 80,000 Syrian refugees,” Araji added.
Raickman said the organization is readjusting its medical activities in Central Bekaa.
“MSF projects have a lifespan, and we are now looking into proposing a different type of support as more basic health needs are arising.” Raickman told This is Beirut.
Kamal Abou Jawde, the Bekaa Governor, sounded the alarm, as he stressed that “the hospital’s continuity is crucial for the region.”
“MSF’s presence in the impoverished area is vital,” Abu Jawde said.
“Abyad is looking for alternative parties who could take over the hospital from MSF because it will be hard for the ministry to operate it, as public hospitals are currently struggling to function,” the governor went on to say.
Hospitals in Lebanon are struggling to cover their costs and meet their financial obligations, which include wages and rent, as they are unable to generate enough revenue. To remain financially afloat, some hospitals have had to reduce the number of their staff and the services they offer, while others were forced to shut down. This has left patients without access to essential medical services, especially in underprivileged areas, where access to medical care was already limited.
