Chief of Rassoul Hospital to Al-Ahed: Our Staff In The Service of The State, Under Sayyed Nasrallah’s Command

By Al-Ahed Staff

Beirut - With ample determination and courage, the medical and nursing staff at Beirut’s Al-Rassoul Al-Aazam (PBUH) Hospital are gearing up combat the coronavirus pandemic threatening Lebanese society. They are Lebanon’s first line of defense. Employees at the hospital heeded the call from Hezbollah Secretary General, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, to show solidarity with the Lebanese state and provide all necessary services to overcome the outbreak.

The hospital’s general manager Dr. Mohamad Bachir told Al-Ahed news that his staff are accustomed to dealing with challenging situations.   

"I am not surprised by the way our doctors, nurses, and other staff responded to the call to combat [the virus],” Dr. Bachir said. “They’ve been tested in the most difficult and harshest circumstances, and they always made us proud and never disappointed us. They are now under the command of the secretary general of Hezbollah, ready and waiting."

He stressed that the employees “who are my sons and daughters are in the service of Sayyed and our community.”

Dr. Bachir sent a heartfelt greeting to all medical and technical personnel working in public and state-run hospitals as well as the ministry of health.

"We support them and stand by them in the battle they are fighting, and with all our love we tell them that we are with you and ready to provide any assistance."

The response to the media attack

There have been a lot of deliberate media attacks directed at the Al-Rassoul Al-Aazam Hospital since the start of the pandemic in Lebanon. Media outlets with known political affiliations have consistently issued false allegations to mislead the public.

"What happened was strange. Amid this global pandemic, some media outlets led by political parties in Lebanon claimed that the Al-Rassoul Al-Aazam Hospital was receiving and concealing coronavirus cases. We rejected this because they are distorting the truth and misleading public opinion."

According to Dr. Bachir, "the media attack is not directed at Al-Rassoul Al-Aazam Hospital per se, but rather at what it stands for politically and because it is a symbol and a great health edifice in Lebanon. In addition, the Islamic Republic of Iran had a hand in its establishment. When the attack on the hospital began, it was targeting Iran in the first place. They were seeking to promote the narrative that Iran is the epicenter of the pandemic and that Hezbollah is assisting in one way or another in spreading it in Lebanon. Meanwhile, the ministry of health did not call on Hezbollah to take any measures. So, it was obvious that they would say that people coming from Iran are being treated in Al-Rassoul Al-Aazam Hospital.” 

"The attack is not directed at the hospital, its staff, its performance and its capabilities, but rather at the role and political presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran and, accordingly, the role of Hezbollah in Lebanese society," Dr. Bachir added.

Al-Rassoul Al-Aazam Hospital is a haven for all patients from all social classes and from all regions of Lebanon. Dr. Bachir explains to Al-Ahed that “before the coronavirus crisis, Lebanon was - and still is - witnessing a very bad economic situation. Lebanon's hospitals were experiencing a critical condition. Day by day, we were heading towards a more tragic reality in terms of the ability of hospitals to receive patients and purchase medical supplies needed to provide the necessary services. During that period, most hospitals in Lebanon declared their inability to carry on, and their services decreased in light of the difficult economic conditions, especially after the dollar exchange rate spiked.”

"But the Al-Rassoul Al-Aazam Hospital did not cut any of its services. It continued to operate at normal capavity and provide all the usual services. Moreover, the hospital witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of patients in different departments. This was due to the difficult economic situation, and people come to the hospital because they know it. The cost of services here is far lower than in other places. The higher number may also be due to the fact that patients did not find vacancies in other hospitals,” the doctor added.

We will continue to serve our people

In the time of the coronavirus, Dr. Bachir assures Al-Ahed that the hospital “continued to receive patients while taking all necessary precautions to protect its patients first and its employees second as well as all visitors from the threat of this epidemic.” He notes that “even today we are still receiving people."

However, he warns the situation "may change in the coming days in light of developments regarding the coronavirus and the measures taken by the ministry of health in line with the seriousness of the situation. It is normal for the hospital to keep pace with the developments and reduce cold services, without affecting the emergency cases. We may delay some cold cases."

"Since the outbreak started in China and moved to Iran, we have taken the necessary precautions and opened a special passage for emergencies based on the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). These procedures have evolved over time. We eventually arrived at the conclusion that any person who wants to enter the hospital needs to be subject to a health assessment at the very least to monitor if he has symptoms that the ministry of health classified as that of the coronavirus," Dr. Bachir said. “This was accompanied by a significant reduction in the number of visitors. There was great compliance, and we were able to protect the hospital after we faced some suspected cases. In the coming days, we can tighten these procedures further. We are also looking at canceling visitations and working to reduce contact between people."

Dr. Bachir stressed that “this hospital is still open and will remain open. And at the time of the coronavirus, it might have to receive coronavirus cases. This depends on the instructions of the ministry of health.”

“We are working with Saint George Hospital, a branch of Al-Rassoul Al-Aazam Hospital. There is a common plan, and we meet daily to keep up with developments regarding the coronavirus."