Thread by @DrEricDing

I cry for the people of Lebanon—so much hunger, no electricity. “The supply of medicines has also become unreliable. At a pharmacy, a line stretched, where anxious shoppers sought medicines that are now scarce, such as pain killers & blood pressure meds.” nytimes.com/2021/08/04/wor…

2) “In a country once billed as the Switzerland of the Middle East, the banks are largely insolvent. Education has suffered as teachers and professors seek better opportunities abroad. And health care has deteriorated as reduced salaries caused an exodus of doctors and nurses.”

3) “The emergency ward at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, among the country’s best, has gone to seven physicians, from 12, and lost more than half of its 65 nurses since July 2020, said Eveline Hitti, the head of the department.

4) “They were driven out by waves of Covid-19, declining salaries and the explosion in the Beirut port last year, which flooded the ward with casualties.
“You ask yourself, why should I survive this?” said Rima Jabbour, the head nurse.

5) “Now, Covid cases are increasing, as are food poisonings caused by poor refrigeration and alcohol overdoses.” 😢