Rafik Hariri University Hospital
Encyclopedia
The Rafik Hariri University Hospital – formerly known as Beirut Governmental University Hospital (BGUH) – is the largest Lebanese
public hospital, located on the outskirts of southern Beirut
. The hospital's main building has a maximal capacity of 544 hospital beds; it comprises a total of seven floors with three annex buildings a 50 bed hotel and four villas hosting staff dormitories, outpatient clinics and administrative services.
Due to the advent of the Lebanese civil war
, which significantly weakened the public health care sector, the construction project had to be postponed until 1995 when then prime minister Rafik Hariri laid the cornerstone; construction was finalized during 2000.
The hospital was inaugurated on August 2, 2004 with a cost of 121 million US dollars.
The hospital staff also complained that the hospital administration withdrew many benefits such as the social security school grants and withholds health insurance bills from its employees.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
public hospital, located on the outskirts of southern Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. The hospital's main building has a maximal capacity of 544 hospital beds; it comprises a total of seven floors with three annex buildings a 50 bed hotel and four villas hosting staff dormitories, outpatient clinics and administrative services.
History
On February 2, 1979, the Lebanese government decided to build a governmental hospital with a 500-bed capacity on a publicly owned property in Bir Hassan, Beirut. The decision was based on technical studies made by the minister of Health and the Minister of Public Works and Transportation.Due to the advent of the Lebanese civil war
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
, which significantly weakened the public health care sector, the construction project had to be postponed until 1995 when then prime minister Rafik Hariri laid the cornerstone; construction was finalized during 2000.
The hospital was inaugurated on August 2, 2004 with a cost of 121 million US dollars.
Controversy
The RHUH staff went on strikes on various occasions due to the repetitive delay in receiving their financial dues, the staff expressed consternation since the hospital's administration did not provide consistent causality for the delay in payment of their salaries which has been occurring for over a year since 2010.The hospital staff also complained that the hospital administration withdrew many benefits such as the social security school grants and withholds health insurance bills from its employees.