COVID-19: Lebanese medical services are on the verge of collapse and exceed the “wildest predictions”

The head of a major coronavirus hospital in Lebanon said the national health system is on the verge of collapse-not enough beds, medicine, oxygen, ventilators or staff.

In a rigorous interview with Sky News, Dr. Firas Abiad said the number of cases and deaths has increased significantly in the past few weeks due to the government’s decision to relax coronavirus restrictions on the fateful days of Christmas and New Year. Said that it increased to.

He allowed us to put our camera in the emergency department and intensive care unit of Raffic Hariri University Hospital in Beirut to see the pressure he and his staff were under.

Dr. Abiad said all hospitals reported complete or nearly complete intensive care units, and in many hospitals patients were stuck in emergency wards and waiting for beds.

“Some patients couldn’t find a bed, and there were some cases where patients died in their homes,” he said.

“Looking at the surge in cases, we are actually seeing an unprecedented number of COVIDs in Lebanon, which is far beyond our expectations.

“Since we were almost a month ago, the number of new cases every day has almost quadrupled,” said Dr. Abiad.

“At the same time, the number of deaths has tripled and the number of ICU patients has increased by almost 100%.”

On December 17, four days before the end of the national blockade, the government decided to relax a series of vacation restrictions.

Under strong corporate pressure, they allowed people to open nightclubs, bars and restaurants with 50% capacity, while encouraging people to wear masks and maintain social distance.

But the Christmas and New Year social media videos were full of clubs and bars. No attempt was made to crack down on the breach.

“It’s clear that they were devastating [decisions] And what happened was that they threw the entire national healthcare system into a great abyss, “said Dr. Aviad.

In the emergency department, the pressure is obvious. There is a shortage of beds, drugs, oxygen, ventilators and staff.

It’s a relatively modern hospital, but it looks sparse except for the number of patients.

The nurse strokes the patient’s head.

“I’m fainted … I’m fainted,” he tells the nurse.

“No, no! You’re very fine. Don’t be afraid. Your oxygen is good. 99%. To be honest, it’s very good,” she reassures him.

In the next bed is Aida Delawi, 53 years old. She first began to feel sick 15 days ago. Her family wanted her to recover at home, but things got worse this week.

“Yesterday I felt I couldn’t accept it anymore,” she says. “I had a pain in my back and lungs. The kids took me to the hospital, but no hospital accepted me.”

Eventually a space was found and she was slowly improving.

Nurse Hussein Al-Cousin says in the wave of the virus, patients are no longer primarily elderly.

“I’m much younger now,” he says. “Before there were patients aged 50 or 60.

“Now they are patients aged 20, 25 and 30 and they are very very critical-they are all.”

On the other side of the city, access to the Lebanese Red Cross Coordination Center is allowed.

In a well-organized control room, a team of volunteers juggle calls from a patient’s family over a wireless call to an ambulance team on the ground.

“So does she have the coronavirus?” Volunteers ask the following questions: “So is she short of breath?”

A radio message is sent to one of the dispatch teams.

“We were sent to a patient who tested positive for COVID and she is currently suffering from unsaturated and vomiting,” says volunteer medic Waad Abdulaal from the passenger seat of the ambulance.

“So we’ll go ahead and evaluate her to see if she needs to be taken to the hospital.”

Lebanon was already in financial crisis.

Years of cumulative economic mismanagement have led to a slow collapse in every sector of society.

Then with a pandemic Catastrophic harbor explosion last year.

In the dark due to yet another power outage, the Red Cross team reaches the patient, climbing several flights through the stairwell.

This is Madame Imado. 80 years old. She tested positive last week and her diabetes complicates her condition. She needs to go to the hospital but has trouble finding a bed for her.

Last week the national positive rate was 21% (14-day moving average).

This means that the spread of the virus to the community is out of control. It should be 5% before there is a possibility of regaining a grasp of the crisis.

They think they were called and found a space in a nearby hospital.

Mrs. Imado, her daughter Sophie looks straight at our camera and “shows them that some are dying. Before They arrive at the hospital. “

The elderly woman arrived at the hospital. But she was sent home again. There was no bed. Her family told us that her condition had deteriorated this weekend.

© Sky News 2021