(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Lebanese Health Minister Wael Abu Faour announced the closure of eight health labs and three plastic clinics on Thursday for a failure to abide by health and legal obligations.
Abu Faour said the health labs were primarily “blood sample collection centers” and the registered physicians were not present during patient visits.
Lebanon requires centers to have valid licenses and full-time specialized doctors working in the establishment at all times.
The absent physicians were identified as Dr. Hassan Haidar in Saksakiye, Bassam Shoeib in Choueifat, George al-Baino in Taalbaya, and Qassem Salim in Sarafand.
The other four registered “doctors” were actually pharmacists, according to Abu Faour.
The lab owners were identified as Hussein Khalifeh, Joseph Najjar, Ricardo Sarraf, and Imad al-Afash.
Abu Faour also contacted south Lebanon’s governor with a request to shut down three plastic surgery clinics, for several “health-related” violations.
The clinics, which were all in Sidon, include Janin Nassar’s Center, Silkor Laser Medical Center, and Seif Beauty Clinic.
The minister said the clinics would be shut down for a renewable two week period, until the center could report proper health conditions.