Related: Inside a Beirut ICU where just 20 per cent survive battle with Covid-19
Hospitals in need of intensive care staff are fuelling the mass departure of doctors from Lebanon, heaping pressure on the nation's healthcare system.
There has been great demand in the region and around the world for medical staff.
That demand is placing further strain on Lebanon's pool of healthcare workers, many of whom were already looking to work overseas because of the country's economic crisis.
Dr Youssef Bakhach, general secretary of the Lebanese Order of Physicians in Beirut, said one in five doctors had already left the country or was planning to do so.
We estimate that 16 to 20 per cent of Lebanese doctors have already left or are planning to leave. The Gulf will always be an attractive destination
“We do not have exact numbers but we know every day we have up to 20 doctors coming to the LOP asking for their files to apply for ministry of health departments abroad. It is a big concern as we are depleting the system,” Dr Bakhach said.
He said many of those leaving were unlikely to return.
“Doctors leaving Lebanon is an increasing phenomenon and the problem will not be solved immediately," he said.
“We estimate that 16 to 20 per cent of Lebanese doctors have already left or are planning to leave.
“It could take 10 years to stabilise. The bleeding of doctors will continue as the Gulf region will always be an attractive destination.”
Typically, under labour laws, doctors work in UAE hospitals for a minimum of two years. But many choose to extend their contracts.
One hospital source said there was a surge of applications from Lebanon in recent months.
But some medics had unrealistic salary expectations compared with other applicants, the source said.
The collapse of Lebanon's banking system, anti-government protests and the port explosion that destroyed parts of Beirut have forced highly skilled medics to leave Lebanon.
Dr Bakhach said the mass departures would cause irreparable damage to Beirut's reputation as the medical capital of the Middle East and a health tourism destination.
Desperate need for doctors
A study by the European Commission predicted the EU would be in need of about 230,000 doctors to fill hospital vacancies.
Germany topped a list of nations reporting a shortage of staff owing to a large number of doctors reaching retirement age and too few new medics being trained. There are also more specialists in Germany than general practitioners.
As Germany doubled its intensive care beds to more than 40,000 in the summer of 2020 because of the pandemic, the country appealed to migrant doctors to fill the gap in hospitals.
Authorities focused on the 15,000 Syrian doctors already waiting to have their qualifications approved.
Since the outbreak of the civil war, about 70 per cent of medics in Syria have fled.
About 600 new doctors graduate each year at the seven internationally recognised medical schools in Lebanon.
But many look to continue their training in the US, Canada and Europe.
The UAE is becoming an increasingly popular destination, with about 80,000 Lebanese already living in the country.
Dr Bakhach, a professor of plastic surgery at the American University of Beirut Medical Centre, fears Lebanon could become a medical wasteland.
“Even before the pandemic, in Lebanon, our doctors used to look for work outside the country. It is a big concern for us to have them leave Lebanon” he said.
“This phenomenon is increasing and the long-term economic impact will not be solved immediately.
“Before we were the hospital of the Middle East and all people in the Gulf used to come to Lebanon for medical services.
"Now the Lebanese expertise is in Dubai and Abu Dhabi or Jeddah. Patients will not even think about coming to Lebanon any more.”
On average, doctors' salaries in Lebanon are a fifth of what they were a year ago. Private hospitals are owed more than $1.3 billion in outstanding payments dating back to 2011.
It has led many professionals to look to the Gulf for long-term reliable careers.
Malvika Varma, head of human resources for Prime Hospital in Dubai, expects new opportunities to continue to arise.
"The demand in the UAE is always there and we continue to source from other Gulf countries, as well as India and the Philippines," she said.
“We are looking for intensive care roles, nurses and doctors in particular.
“Mostly we recruit doctors from Lebanon rather than nurses."
She said the hospital received many CVs and applications from professionals in Beirut.
“They want to get recruited and know it is a standard two-year contract, but most of the doctors end up staying longer and renew their contracts," she said.
Mariah Siddiqui, chief executive of Hasa Consulting, recruits doctors for hospitals across the UAE and reported an increase in demand from Lebanese professionals.
“Lebanon is well known for high-end doctors thanks to its medical education and training facilities,” Ms Siddiqui said.
“Healthcare is a main priority for growth here and there has been a significant increase in the amount of upcoming hospitals and world-class infrastructure.
“As a result, last year we saw an increase in the amount of inquiries from healthcare professionals in Lebanon expressing an interest to work in the UAE.”
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did
We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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