Lebanon faces medical crisis amid Israel-Hezbollah conflict

Friday marked a month since Israeli forces launched a ground offensive on southern Lebanon, where the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah has strongholds. Israel continues its airstrikes and the rising death toll is straining Lebanon’s health system.

In the capital Beirut, many patients are transferred to public hospitals from other institutions that were destroyed or forced to close due to Israeli attacks. The hospital says it’s becoming harder to accept more patients.

Lebanon nearly defaulted in 2020 and many doctors and nurses left the country. Some have returned, but there is a serious shortage of nursing staff in the public hospital.

A doctor said the hospital was overloaded and they were under a lot of pressure.

Some people don’t get the medical treatment they need.

A displaced man said his two-month-old daughter fell ill a week after being evacuated and he took her to the hospital but did not receive any treatment.

The man is staying in shelter provided by a support group, but he constantly worries that his daughter’s condition could worsen.

He said he couldn’t do anything. He said that his daughter had great difficulty in obtaining medicine and meeting her other needs.