Treatment of Injured After Beirut Explosion

By Kasandra

On August 4, 2020, an explosion occurred in Lebanon’s capital Beirut. It was so powerful that it was felt by Cyprus, a city more than 150 miles away and resulted in at least 137 fatalities, 5000 injuries, and 300,000 displacements. The explosion happened at one of the worst possible times: Lebanon had already been dealing with an economic crisis and a recent surge in coronavirus cases. The financial crisis forced hospitals to cut costs. They had to cut some staff and limit some treatment types. Many hospitals are now replete with patients and have a dearth of resources. However, some hospitals were damaged by the blast, left unable to admit new patients. Consequently, healthcare workers were forced to improvise. Patients are being treated in hospital parking lots and corridors. Amongst the devastation, many healthcare workers have made tremendous sacrifices and worked tirelessly to treat the wounded. A notable nurse at the Al Roum Hospital saved the lives of 3 newborns that were in the hospital during the blast. Maria Hajja, a nurse from St. George Hospital, is another of the healthcare workers helping the wounded. She referred to her colleagues who were killed by the blasts as “superhero nurses”. A memorial for 5 of the nurses- -Lena Abu Hamdan, Jesse Qahuji David, Jessica Bazdjian, Mirai Germanos, and Jacqueline Gibrin- killed by the explosion was posted on social media by The Nurses Order of Lebanon. Amongst all the death and devastation, events like this give us a deeper appreciation of healthcare workers and the sacrifices made by them.

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