“The Mont-Liban Hospital (Hazmieh) sequestered for a week a patient who could not pay the costs of his hospitalization”, indignant Tuesday in a statement the director of the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), Mohammad Karaki. “This is a precedent which falls under the law of the jungle,” he added, accusing hospital officials of “not caring about humanity or the law”. The man was being treated in the establishment after being contaminated with Covid-19. “The man taken hostage was not released until Monday after having paid the sum of 30 million pounds in addition to the 15 million he had previously paid”, further deplores the director of the CNSS, who judge more generally that “this hospital does not comply with social security rates”, before announcing the termination of the contract between the two parties.
Neither feet nor fists tied
On the side of the Mont-Liban Hospital, these accusations are denied. “He had been treated and had to leave last Saturday after his recovery”, indicates an executive of the establishment on condition of anonymity, stressing that “(the patient) wanted to stay until Monday, because he feared his return at home, thinking he wasn’t going to be so well looked after ”. “We asked him to make sure to find the amount due, but we still did not tie him hand and foot to his bed”, continues the executive, who adds: “Besides, how could we have been able to kidnap him when his sister is a hospital employee? “Contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, Mohammad Karaki does not give up and does not hesitate to qualify the act accused of” terrorist “, stressing that during the week of” kidnapping “, a CNSS executive had attempted unsuccessful in convincing hospital officials to resort to justice rather than detaining the patient. Saying that he understands the current difficulties facing hospitals, he notes, however, that “the situation is hard for everyone”. “Having made a lot of gains over many years, hospitals should be patient during this exceptional period, especially as their mission is to serve people,” insists the director of the CNSS. While disputing the accusations of Mr. Karaki, the manager of the aforementioned Mont-Liban Hospital, does not hide his dissatisfaction with the “ridiculous” pricing of reimbursements, imposed by the CNSS. “The night in the intensive care unit is reimbursed only 400,000 LL by Social Security. This amount is barely enough to procure the personal protective equipment (PPE) that doctors, residents and nurses use during on-call, ”he calculates, indicating by way of comparison that“ in France, the night in intensive care is invoiced 800 euros ”. And to cite another example: “The CNSS sets the price of childbirth at 210,000 pounds, or $ 18 at the parallel market rate. How, under these conditions, could a hospital stay the course? “” The real costs are exorbitant “, observes this person in charge, evoking” the payment of the medico-technical and nursing corps, the drugs, the three daily meals to the patients, as well as the expenses of electricity, fuel oil, bedding, d ‘maintenance, cleaning … “” Social Security wants hospitals to assume the uncontrolled increase in costs while its scales have changed very little since 1994, “he finally denounces.
A charge to which Mr. Karaki responds. “Our organization is doing everything within its means to support the hospital sector. Since 2011, monthly advances have been paid continuously to hospitals, ”assures the director of the CNSS. “Our efforts are continuing to increase the prices of services”, he adds, announcing for example that “the price of dialysis will soon increase to 250,000 pounds instead of 154,000 LL currently”.
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“The Mont-Liban Hospital (Hazmieh) sequestered for a week a patient who could not pay the costs of his hospitalization”, indignant Tuesday in a statement the director of the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), Mohammad Karaki. “This is a precedent which falls under the law of the jungle”, he added, accusing the …
