According to a new UNICEF report released on Wednesday, the number of women dying from pregnancy-related problems has nearly tripled in the last three years. According to the data, 40 percent of doctors, including those who work primarily with children and women, have left the country due to the current economic climate.
This departure, according to the UN, is lowering the quality of services in a country that was once regarded as a regional healthcare centre. In 2021, the number of maternal deaths increased largely due to the coronavirus delta variant, according to Faysal al-Kak, the coordinator of Lebanon’s National Committee on Safe Motherhood. However, the economic crisis was also a factor, he added. Children, particularly Syrian refugees who have crossed the border into Lebanon, are among the most vulnerable people affected by the situation. According to UNICEF, a third of infants were unable to access healthcare by October 2021, and the number of children dying within the first four weeks of life has “increased considerably among refugees in four provinces surveyed.” Lebanon is home to 1.5 million Syrian refugees, accounting for nearly a quarter of the country’s population.
In the midst of the country’s economic troubles, Lebanon’s government agreed last week to spend $15 million to temporarily alleviate the country’s mounting bread shortages. Long lineups had formed outside bakeries around the country after the government failed to renew a long-promised credit line for the subsidised commodity, according to industry insiders. Anguished parents and families are repeatedly unable to obtain basic health care for their children, despite the efforts of many dedicated health staff to keep operations going amid the crisis, “UNICEF Lebanon representative Ettie Higgins stated.” He goes on to suggest that, “In addition to the exacerbated crises, the COVID-19 epidemic may have impacted accessibility, pricing, and transportation indirectly.” According to UNICEF’s findings, the rising cost of transportation and services as a result of the country’s currency depreciation, as well as the elimination of most fuel and prescription subsidies, has put healthcare out of reach for many.
