The medical coverage of Beirut’s firefighters is at the heart of a crisis that led Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar to receive Governor Marwan Abboud and Mayor Ibrahim Zeidan on Thursday night, November 12. The Ministry confirms that it has reviewed their claims and the events that occurred in the municipality, without announcing a financial settlement or an exit date.
Care and equipment at the centre of the conflict
Firefighters are calling for better care and hospitalization, as well as the payment of clothing allowance. A first mobilization took place on 6 November in front of the governorate headquarters. The movement resumed on 12 November, while a meeting of the municipal council was expected.
The corps commander, General Maher Ajouz, explained in press statements that the agents could no longer bear the difference between hospital bills and the amounts covered. He announced a withdrawal from the barracks and the suspension of regular missions until the medical record was settled, claiming that the governor had given his consent.
Continuity of relief remains a distinct issue
Maher Ajouz referred to the use of the Civil Defence teams and said he was prepared to carry out reinforcement missions at their request. This position does not make it possible to conclude that all the aid was stopped in Beirut. However, it stresses the need to distinguish between the movement of municipal firefighters and the operation of other emergency services.
The Commander also indicated that the processing of claims required legal and administrative steps. He did not give a firm deadline for their completion.
Hajjar calls for solutions and procedural compliance
In its official communiqué of 12 November, the Ministry states that Ahmad Hajjar requested concrete solutions guaranteeing the rights of members of the fire brigade and the municipal guard. He stressed their role in protecting the inhabitants and responding to accidents and emergencies.
The Minister also stressed the respect of legal and administrative rules in the expression of claims, as well as the preservation of the functioning of public institutions. This double message does not constitute a quantitative acceptance of applications or the announcement of an agreement with agents.
A difficulty documented for several years
The testimonies gathered at the Quarantine barracks in May 2023 already described the difficultly accessible care and uniforms that the officers had to fund themselves. These ancient observations shed light on the origin of the conflict, but the wages and material means then cannot be presented as the figures of November 2026.
The current dossier therefore covers both the social rights of agents and the organisation of interventions during their mobilization. The Ministerial Communiqué does not yet specify the cost of the proposed solution, its funding or the modalities for its implementation.
Comments