BEIRUT, Nov 9 (NNN-NNA) – Syndicate of Private Hospitals President, Suleiman Haroun said, Lebanese private hospitals, soon, will not be able to receive patients, due to the shortage in cash.
“The materials used in hospitals may last for one month only, and we may witness the death of patients in hospitals, due to the shortage in these materials,” Haroun said, in a press conference.
Haroun called upon banks to facilitate the purchase of U.S. dollars, to import the needed materials, otherwise hospitals will stop receiving patients by next Friday, except for urgent cases.
The economic slowdown and the drop in cash injections from overseas Lebanese have reduced the central bank’s foreign currency reserves, leading to a shortage in dollars for both businesses and individuals.
The demand for dollar has created a parallel market, in which one dollar is selling on the black market at 1,600 Lebanese pounds, higher than the official rate.
As a result, importers of some basic products, such as medicine and hospital materials, reported great losses because they have been buying their products from importing companies by paying in dollars while they are selling it to clients in Lebanese pounds.
Also, Haroun had previously announced that private hospitals in Lebanon are suffering from a severe yearly deficit, amounting to 70 billion Lebanese pounds (46 million U.S. dollars).– NNN-NNA
