The Extraordinary Challenge of Rebuilding Lebanon’s Healthcare System

The Extraordinary Challenge of Rebuilding Lebanon’s Healthcare System

For the past two years, the health care system in Lebanon that was once known as The “Hospital of the Middle East,” has become a shadow of its former self.

Historically, Lebanon has been the hub of academic medical centers and the leading destination for medical tourism in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

This leadership position has been decimated by the economic meltdown of Lebanon and the Lebanese pound collapse in 2019/2020, coupled with the global stress of the COVID19 pandemic. As a result of these unfortunate events, highly qualified physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals are leaving the country for other medical centers in the Gulf region, Europe and the United States.

In October of 2019, the Lebanese people took to the streets to protest decades of rampant corruption that has culminated in a feeling of hopelessness across virtually all sectors of the economy but even more so in healthcare. The economic failure has been accompanied by political paralysis and a run on the Lebanese currency that has drastically reduced its purchasing power. This has been coupled with the Lebanese banking system imposing a draconian limitation on the withdrawal or transfers of foreign currencies (capital control) – all essential