Doctors in Lebanon stop working amid fuel crisis

Berirut: Lebanese doctors in the Hermel district on Sunday have decided to stop working, because they are running out of fuel and are finding it difficult to reach their workplace, Lebanese news agency reported.

The doctors association of Lebanon appealed to the ministry of energy and the government to secure fuel as soon as possible, because stopping doctors from working will have serious repercussions.

As per the media reports, doctors association said in a statement that they took the decision after they were unable to secure petrol for their cars, and after making all efforts at all levels and appealing to officials, but to no avail.

The statement warned that “in the coming hours, the rest of the doctors from all specialties in the neighboring regions will join them, which may cause a catastrophic health crisis for emergency patients, trauma accidents, heart attacks and emergency surgery patients.”

For months, Lebanon has been suffering from a severe shortage of fuel, which has caused a transportation crisis due to the depletion of fuel tanks for citizens’ cars and shared transportation.

The lack of fuel also causes long hours of power outages for homes and institutions.

The fuel crisis is one of the most prominent consequences of the worst economic crisis in Lebanon and this has led to a financial collapse.