“In light of the continuous collapse of the Lebanese pound against the dollar and the loss of the bulk of the Lebanese people’s purchasing power after their salaries turned into ‘symbolic’, unable to cover their basic expenses of food, housing, water and electricity expenses, these sectors have practically become the exclusive monopoly of the rich, most notably hospitalization and education.
And after the guarantor government agencies covered before 2019 a large portion of the Lebanese who used to pay small differences in hospitals, these agencies that pay dues in Lebanese pounds are no longer able to cover even 10 percent of the hospital bill value, forcing the patient to pay huge sums for non-medicine. able to secure it in light of the ongoing financial collapse.
Hospital Owners Syndicate Suleiman Haroun was the first to warn more than a year ago that hospitalization would become a monopoly for the rich, which has become a fait accompli today, as he put it, pointing out in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that “a large number of patients no longer seek refuge.” To hospitals because they are unable to incur hospital expenses, which led to a decline in the percentage of hospital admissions between 40 and 50 percent, after the bills were converted to fresh dollars (fresh dollars) completely.
Haroun points out that “hospitals are still receiving cases that are in grave danger and their lives are at stake in the event that funds are not available to cover the costs directly, but they are unable to do more than that because all medical supplies and all our expenses have become fresh (dollars) with the lifting of support for all Nothing but dialysis.” He pointed out that “a patient who suffered a broken foot, for example, will need to pay at least 3 thousand US dollars, or the equivalent of 360 million Lebanese pounds, to receive the necessary treatment.” He adds, “Some patients resort to health care centers, but these centers are unable to replace hospitals. Add that some people pay greater differences in government hospitals than those paid in private hospitals.”
It applies to the hospitalization sector, in which Lebanon was a pioneer in the Middle East region, and now it is witnessing a dramatic collapse with the emigration of a large part of the specialized and qualified medical staff, which applies to the education sector. After students flocked to Lebanese schools and universities from surrounding countries, the financial crisis hit this sector at its core, which led to the suspension of lessons for months, the emigration of teachers, and an unprecedented decline in the level of education.
Teachers in public schools have continued their strike for about 3 months, demanding “dollarization” of their salaries, which have lost their value. Teachers in private schools resort from time to time to strike to put pressure on the administrations of these schools to raise their salaries.
According to the Head of the Teachers Syndicate in Private Schools, Nehme Mahfoud, last year about 50,000 students moved from public schools to private schools, while this year 42,000 moved, and it is likely that the vast majority will leave public schools next year, given that the students do not receive the necessary education in light of the ongoing strikes. .
The conditions of private schools are not much better, as Mahfoud confirms in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that “only between 10 and 15 schools give their teachers part of the salaries in dollars, while the vast majority still secure salaries in Lebanese pounds, and in the best case with a symbolic amount in dollars (50 Or 70 dollars)”, pointing out that “private education has become of poor quality in many schools, with the emigration of 20 percent of teachers and 50 percent willingness to leave the public sector next.” And he adds, “There is no longer only between 10 and 15 percent of the schools that provide a decent education, and these are schools for which no more than 10 percent of the Lebanese can secure their tuition. What applies to education applies to all other sectors, as it turned to the rich, while the rest of the people are at the bottom, crushed.
This reality also applies to the restaurant sector, as some of them are always crowded, making many wonder: How do their patrons pay their large bills? The head of the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafés, Nightclubs, and Patisseries in Lebanon, Tony Al-Rami, explains the truth of what is happening, pointing out that “there are 5 percent of the Lebanese, consisting of 230,000 families, numbering approximately between 800 and 900,000 people who trade in dollars, and their purchasing power has increased with the collapse of lira, which led to a decline in dollar prices in tourist establishments, especially in restaurants.
Al-Rami indicated in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that “there are about 100 exclusively catering establishments that are witnessing demand and crowding, and they are the best and most expensive establishments, while the rest of the establishments suffer greatly, noting that the sector used to sell for 5 billion dollars and is now selling for one billion.” He added: “In 2019 there were 8,500 restaurant establishments, but with the accumulation of crises and the explosion of the Beirut port and what followed, the number decreased in 2022 to 4,500 establishments, which means that the market has become smaller, especially after the middle class has disappeared and this sector has become a luxury … but it insists on continuity. And the owners of these institutions deal with the stage as a stage of crisis management, steadfastness and proof of existence.