Lebanese man hails Egyptian Beirut hospital for treating his friend without money

CAIRO - 17 August 2020: A Lebanese young man appeared in a video on social media while thanking Egypt over a hospital it established in Beirut decades ago, saying it agreed to treat his friend totally free of charge, while a Lebanese hospital refused.

He said they did not have money and were working to remove rubble after the tragic explosion earlier this month, which killed more than 175 people and wounded over 6,000 others. It also destroyed a large number of shops and left around 300,000 people homeless.

While removing rubble, the young man’s leg was injured and needed an operation, according to his friend. The wounded man in the video was carried by two of his friends.

The one holding the camera said he is filming the hospital from outside because its staff refused to be filmed while performing their duty.

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المستشفى الميدانى المصرى بلبنان ينقذ شاب من الموت.. وصديقه باكيًا : شكرًا يا مصر pic.twitter.com/mUkeL6kflj

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited on Tuesday the Egyptian field hospital in Beirut, where he was given full explanation of the healthcare services it provides it the Lebanese people at this troubled time.

Shoukry praised the role the hospital plays, especially that it has received people who were injured in the port explosions last week, and that its services are free of charge for everybody in Lebanon.

Two flights arrived at Rafiq el Hariri Airport carrying Egyptian aid to Lebanon Monday.

The seventh and eights planes contained huge amounts of necessary aid to the Lebanese people as part of an airlift ordered by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

The two planes carried 28 tons of relief and food aid, as well as medical equipment offered by Egypt to help Lebanon face repercussions of the massive blast that rocked the Beirut port on August 4.

Egyptian Ambassador Yasser Elwi and General Consul Ahmed Emam were at the airport to receive the shipment.

A tragic blast took place on August 4 in Beirut, when 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in the port exploded causing more than 150 deaths and 6,000 injuries. Beirut governor stated that the value of the ports damages is $15 billion. The explosion also caused the destruction of surrounding neighborhoods.

A week later, Prime Minister Hassan Diab in an official televised speech announced the government resignation.

Diab blamed the blast on “long-standing corruption,” saying that the corrupt figures have fought against the government, distorted facts and spread rumors.

He hailed the efforts made by the ministers of his government, saying each of them has exerted the maximum possible effort.