Away from the political and constitutional debate about the last session of the transitional government, its constitutionality and legitimacy or not, and whether it can be replaced by traveling decrees or any other mechanism for making the necessary decisions on urgent matters, however, the decree of the distribution of funds allocated for work in public and private entities paid by the Ministry of Public Health, for the year 2022, has left positive effects among the poor, especially those on dialysis and cancer patients.
This decree was also well received by private hospitals, in addition to other decrees related to health issues that hospitals expressed their satisfaction with their issuance, having previously warned that they could no longer continue to cover all hospital services and that patients had to pay the differences in bills directly, which threatened many people with not receiving the necessary treatment and therefore risking death, because hospitals are unable to continue in this situation.
And the head of the Syndicate of Owners of Private Hospitals, Suleiman Haroun, explains, in an interview with the Lebanese Forces website, that “there are contracts signed between the Ministry of Health and the hospitals to pay the latter’s dues for the year 2022, and these contracts do not take effect and the hospitals are not paid, except by decree of the Council of Ministers.””.
And he added: “There is a deadline that expires on December 15, and if a decree of the Council of Ministers is not issued before that date, the contracts and credits for hospitals will expire and it will no longer be possible to pay them. Therefore, the decree must exist to confirm the contracts, in preparation for the implementation of the specified payment mechanism.
And Haroun points out: “The payment has not yet started and the hospitals have not received any money for the year 2022 so far, while they are still receiving patients at the expense of the Ministry of Health. But at least now, with the issuing of the decree, the funds are seized and there is a payment mechanism, otherwise, if it were not issued, the funds noted would not exist”, noting that “the amount, according to the budget for the year 2022, is approximately £2.1 trillion.
And he underlines: «We have passed the first stage, and now we are waiting to receive the quotas. It is true that the decree has been issued, but the money has not yet been credited to the hospital accounts”, explaining that “the decree will first be studied and then approved by the Court of Auditors, after which the Ministry of Health will transfer the payment plans to the Ministry of Finance, which will pay. That is, the matter is still long.
And he believes that “this mechanism should be completed within a month at the latest, if we work with the necessary seriousness, given the current exceptional circumstances”, announcing that “patients will not be charged for hospitalization differences pending the progress of the mechanism. But in case that doesn’t happen, we don’t stand a chance, as we’re talking about a whole year coming to an end and we haven’t received a penny of our fee.
Maroun says: “Private hospitals will deal positively after the decree is issued, and will continue to receive patients at the expense of the Ministry of Health, and will not be burdened by differences, especially dialysis patients and those with cancer. As for the rest of the cases, there are some differences that the patients bear and pay out of pocket, as usual, as the Ministry of Health does not cover the entire bill for all hospitalizations, except for dialysis patients and cancer patients diseases that get 100% coverage.
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