Plan to triple funds
to public hospitals

To develop services and increase beds

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) launched on Wednesday a new plan for developing and enhancing the performance of public hospitals.

The Ministry’s plan suggests increasing the number of public hospital beds from 1,854 to 2,359. Around 280 beds were added last year towards a target of 2,700 in the next few years, according to Bahij Arbid, Advisor to the Minister.

The plan also proposed increasing the yearly funds provided to public hospitals from an average of $7 million for each hospital to $20 million. Health Minister Wael Abou Faour said that the current funds provided by the Government barely cover employee salaries. This is preventing hospitals from acquiring equipment. He said that new funds would allow hospitals to invest in equipping new departments, such as radiology, dialysis and open heart surgery rooms.