By Noemí Jabois
Nabatieh, Lebanon, Mar 25 (EFE).- Hospitals in southern Lebanon are struggling to cope with casualties, staff shortages, and dangerous supply routes as Israeli attacks continue to hit the region, placing increasing pressure on an already fragile healthcare system.
The strain on medical facilities is reflected in scenes unfolding daily at hospitals in the south, where staff are treating a growing number of casualties while coping with the risks themselves.
«No! No! It surely isn’t him! Something doesn’t add up, something is wrong. I saw him just yesterday,» screams a nurse in the emergency room of a hospital in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, after learning that the teenage son of a colleague was killed in an Israeli strike.
The motorcycle he was riding with a friend was hit just a short distance from the Nabih Berri Governmental University Hospital, where staff are mourning the deaths of the two young paramedics from Nabatieh Ambulances, youths who, they say, had not yet reached legal adulthood.
They are the latest victims in a series of Israeli bombardments affecting healthcare personnel and facilities.
These casualties add to other challenges facing the sector, including the difficulty of resupplying medical facilities in hard-hit areas such as southern Lebanon.
In the burn unit of Nabih Berri Hospital, a member of a civil defense organization is recovering after falling victim to a «double-tap» strike while assisting victims of an initial explosion in a nearby village.
Preventive Transfers
At one of only two operational hospitals in Nabatieh receiving conflict victims, the number of injured varies daily.
Sometimes there are five patients, sometimes 10. Some are critically wounded, while others are transferred to Beirut or Sidon, further north, cardiologist Zoher Shaaben told EFE.
The hospital also treats routine cases, but patients requiring extended care are transferred to less-affected areas. This week, for example, a man recovering from heart surgery was moved to another facility.
«We aren’t keeping them here permanently. We are leaving space in case the situation escalates, so we can receive war casualties,» Shaaben said.
Like many other doctors and nurses at Nabih Berri Governmental University Hospital, Shaaben is currently living at the facility due to the heavy bombardment in the area.
«Ultimately, it is our duty as doctors. We have stayed here to help the people. If we leave, what is left for everyone else? We cannot abandon the community, the people need us,» he said.
Hospital director Hassan Wazni estimates that between 250 and 300 staff members, along with their families, are sheltering inside the facility, as they did during the previous conflict in 2024.
«Many of them have no safe way to return to the hospital, so they prefer to stay here. They also wanted to bring their children, and I agreed because I have no other choice. I need staff in the laboratory, anesthesiology, and radiology. I need nurses and doctors,» Wazni told EFE.
Normally, the hospital employs around 380 people, but it is currently operating with only 120 staff members, barely one-third of its peacetime capacity. The available doctors «remain on duty around the clock,» he added.
Securing Supplies
Although the hospital has not been directly targeted, unlike other medical centers in the region, it has sustained minor damage to windows and ceilings from a bombing about 300 meters away. Two nurses suffered minor injuries in that blast.
Shelling is a constant presence in Nabatieh, further complicating the delivery of vital supplies.
«Managing everything, from fuel needed to keep generators running continuously to maintaining oxygen reserves, is not easy. We received an oxygen delivery just two days ago after our supply dropped to critical levels,» Wazni said.
Supply routes are dangerous, and deliveries must be escorted by the International Committee of the Red Cross to reduce the risk of attacks.
Food supplies also pose challenges. «We can store rice and other items, but we cannot stockpile meat and similar products. Every week, I send a few people to buy supplies in Sidon. It’s not far, but the road is not safe either,» he added.
The hospital has enough medicines and medical supplies to last about two months, thanks to reserves built up over fears that a new conflict could erupt.
Wazni believes the current conflict is more intense than the one that ended 15 months ago, although the earlier fighting resulted in more casualties due to large-scale surprise attacks, including simultaneous strikes on vehicles carrying Hezbollah members and airstrikes on inhabited buildings.
Since Mar. 2, the hospital has received around 30 dead and 300 wounded, according to Wazni.
«This war is worse than the other one; it is tougher,» he said. EFE
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