Hospital beds to increase
by 1,700 in three years

An $800 million investment will create 3,000 jobs

New hospitals are expected to create 2,750 job opportunities for nurses, administrative staff and physicians in the next three years.

Around $800 million will be invested in these new hospitals. “If the security situation enhances, these investments will improve medical tourism and attract patients from all regions,” said Sleiman Haroun, Chairman of the Syndicate of Private Hospitals.

However, according to Haroun, these new hospitals will find difficulty in staffing nurses, because there is already shortage of 50 percent. There are 7,000 nurses for a market requirement of 14,000.

Occupancy rates in hospitals reached 65 percent, but these rates could be even higher in hospitals that provide high end quality services, according to the Syndicate. “There is need for the new beds in these hospitals, as demand for better services is increasing,” Haroun said.

Around 10,700 private and public beds are currently available, according to the Syndicate. Haroun said that there is a need to increase the number of intensive care rooms.

The Ministry of Public Health has just issued two licenses for the development of two hospitals, one in Tripoli, the other in Saida. Al Boshra Association will build a hospital in Saida with 200 beds. A hospital in Tripoli owned by the genecology physician, Samar Khalil Bitar, is expected to house 100 beds.

These 300 beds and 1,400 others will enter the market in the next two years, in various regions. Around 565 beds of the total will be located in Beirut, distributed between the American University of Beirut Medical Center (400 beds), Geitaoui Hospital, and Clemenceau Medical Center. Around 300 beds will be located in the North at the University of Balamand Medical Center (200 beds) and Al Najda Al Chaabieh. The south will receive 320 beds at Jubaili Hospital (120 beds) and Medrar Medical Center. The Chouf caza will host around 160 beds at Salman Al Farsi Hospital (85 beds) and Ikhlas Hospital (77 beds). St. John Medical Center will bring 40 new beds to Barja.

An additional 170 beds will be provided by Government hospitals in Rashaya, Bcharri, Sibline, Mayfouq, and Deir El Qamar.

Haroun said: “These additional beds will definitely improve the quality of medical services, enhance the standards of hospitals, and compete with hospitals that are below standard.”

He said that the Syndicate has requested the establishment of nursing faculties in rural regions like Akkar.

Antoine Romanos, Head of the Medical Professional department at the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) said that there is still need for specialized hospitals in the market.