American University of Beirut

During times of war or conflict, healthcare systems face immense strain, especially in a country like Lebanon, where the infrastructure has already been made fragile by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing economic collapse. Now, further compounded by the current Israeli attacks, hospitals are overwhelmed as they struggle to address both emergency care for civilian casualties and routine medical needs, such as cancer treatments, dialysis, and regular checkups.  

Dr. Eveline Hitti, the Chair of Emergency Medicine at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), has witnessed firsthand how these pressures are pushing Lebanon’s healthcare infrastructure to its breaking point. “One of our biggest challenges is that 70 to 80 percent of Lebanon’s healthcare capacity lies in the private sector,” Hitti says. “In times of crisis, the public sector is not able to handle the increased needs.” That puts the responsibility on private hospitals to absorb the rising medical needs, even though many of them were not built to sustain that level of care. 

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Supply chain turmoil adds to the crisis, making an already difficult situation even worse. The collapse of the Lebanese lira had strained the country’s healthcare system’s ability to procure medical supplies. This conflict only exacerbates the problem further, as flights and imports are restricted, and infrastructural damage is almost guaranteed due to the bombings. 

Altogether, this makes addressing emergency and routine care during conflict an immense challenge for any healthcare system, especially one already weakened by economic collapse and the exodus of medical professionals that came after. The ability to provide care, both for routine illnesses and emergency trauma, becomes severely compromised, often with deadly consequences for those who cannot access treatment in time. “The risk is that people delay care out of fear,” Dr. Hitti warns. “This is what war does—it terrorizes people into staying home even when they have chest pain or stroke symptoms.”   

AUBMC has already seen an almost 40 percent drop in the number of regular patients coming to the hospital, which has allowed it to accommodate the increased emergency trauma care. However, delaying regular care can exacerbate the underlying health issue, eventually leading people to seek emergency care in an already strained system.  

Lebanon’s healthcare system has weathered crises before, but the combination of war, economic collapse, and a healthcare workforce stretched to its limits poses a real threat. Hospitals like AUBMC are fighting to stay afloat, but Hitti fears the country’s health system could crack under pressure if the escalation continues. “We’re doing everything we can,” she said. “But we can’t do it alone. We need the help of the international community.”