The Manager of Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH) Firass Abiad has requested the hospital’s exemption from the harsh electricity rationing being imposed in Lebanon.
Abiad made the request on Monday in a letter addressed to caretaker Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar, in which he said that RHUH had gone under “a strict electricity rationing program.”
The hospital, which receives the largest number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, in addition to other “difficult and complex cases,” is “operating at almost its maximum capacity,” Abiad added.
He pointed out that fuel companies are refusing to provide the hospital with the diesel fuel it needs to continue operating.
“We have brought this letter with the hope that your Excellency will agree to exempt the Rafik Hariri Governmental University Hospital from this harsh rationing program,” he wrote.
Abiad later shared the letter on his Twitter account, under the caption: “The electricity supply situation of the hospital is unacceptable. Interruption for more than 21 hours a day. Fuel is unavailable, and, even if was available, we suffer from liquidity problems.”
He concluded: “Patients cannot cover the differences. We took a decision to turn off the air conditioning, except in medical departments, despite the heat wave. There is no need to use imagination or scaring, we are really in hell.”