I MET A NURSE WHO USED TO GET PAID ABOUT FOURTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS A MONTH JUST A COUPLE YEARS AGO.
TODAY, HE'S NOW MAKING 230 DOLLARS PER MONTH. IT'S A FAMILIAR STORY AROUND HERE. MY FRIENDS
WERE A GROUP OF SEVEN GIRLS SO I'M THE ONLY ONE HERE LEFT. THE NURSE WORKING 50 HOURS A WEEK
IS NOW BARELY MAKING MORE THAN A DOLLAR AN HOUR. A LOT OF LEBANESE PEOPLE
HAVE JUST ONE THING IN MIND JUST IMMIGRATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SO IMAGINE YOUR PAY GOES FROM SEVEN
DOLLARS AN HOUR TO ONE DOLLAR AN HOUR AND ON TOP OF ALL OF THIS THINGS THAT YOU'RE USED TO BUYING
ARE NOW FIVE TO TEN TIMES MORE EXPENSIVE. ANYONE WHO HAS THE CAPACITY TO LEAVE WILL LEAVE THOSE WHO
STAY GENERALLY ARE FORCED TO STAY. IT'S CAUSING A MASSIVE BRAIN DRAIN WITH RECORD NUMBERS OF PEOPLE
LEAVING LEBANON BUT DON'T BE MISTAKEN THIS IS NOT AN EASY CHOICE FOR MANY. IT'S ACTUALLY SAD
BECAUSE MOST OF THEM DIDN'T WANT TO BE BECAUSE WE HAD OTHER PLANS LIKE WE ALL WANTED TO STAY HERE.
PEOPLE WHO OR DOCTORS AND RESIDENTS WHO NEVER EVER THOUGHT OF LEAVING THE COUNTRY ARE NOW PUTTING
THAT AS AN ONLY OPTION. SO HOW DID IT GET TO THIS? IF YOU HIT ONE PERSON WITH ONE PSYCHOLOGICAL
TRAUMA AFTER THE OTHER AT ONE POINT THEY'RE GONNA BREAK. LEBANON'S HEALTHCARE SECTOR HAS BEEN AT THE
FOREFRONT OF ITS CHALLENGES FROM THE EXPLOSION WHICH INJURED THOUSANDS, THE PROTESTS WHICH
WOUNDED MANY AND NOW, COVID19. ADDING TO ALL THIS SALARIES HAVE BEEN CUT COST OF LIVING HAS SURGED
IT'S NO WONDER WHY LAST YEAR THERE WAS A 50 SURGE IN PEOPLE LEAVING FROM THE YEAR BEFORE. A LOT OF
DOCTORS HAVE LEFT. OF ALL THE MED STUDENTS THAT I JUST SPOKE WITH PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THEM HAVE
A PLAN TO SOMEHOW TRY TO LEAVE. FOR EVERY 1 000 PEOPLE HERE NEARLY 13 PEOPLE LEFT LAST YEAR WHILE
MANY COUNTRIES WATCH THEIR POPULATIONS GET HIGHER LEBANON IS NO STRANGER TO EMIGRATION IN FACT THERE
ARE MORE LEBANESE LIVING ABROAD THAN IN LEBANON BUT LEBANON'S ENTIRE POPULATION IS SMALLER THAN
LONDON SO A DECLINE OF ITS TOP TALENT HERE COULD HAVE HARSH EFFECTS IN THE COMING YEARS. OTHER
STUDENTS WANT TO STAY HERE BUT THEY'RE ACTUALLY AFRAID BECAUSE A LOT OF PHYSICIANS ARE LEAVING
AND THEY'RE LIKE WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO OUR EDUCATION? IS THIS GOING TO AFFECT OUR QUALITY OF
MENTORSHIP AND EDUCATION? SOME SPECIALTY SURGERIES ARE NO LONGER BEING DONE BECAUSE THE DOCTORS HAVE
ALREADY LEFT. ITS MEDICAL SCHOOL IS U.S ACCREDITED AND RANKED AS THE BEST PROGRAM IN THE REGION
BUT TALKING TO MANY PEOPLE HERE IN THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY I CAN SEE THE STRUGGLE. THE STRUGGLE
THEY HAVE BETWEEN FAIR WAGES AND JUST DOING WHAT THEY LOVE AND HELPING PEOPLE HERE IN THEIR
OWN COUNTRY. I REALLY WANTED TO BUILD MY FUTURE HERE SO THAT I GIVE THE CHANCE TO LIKE MY KIDS
TO HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCE HERE. BUT NOW WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING IT'S KIND OF HARD.
THE BRAIN DRAIN OCCURRING HERE IS FAR FROM JUST THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY EVEN PEOPLE IN THEIR 60S
ARE MOVING TO PLACES LIKE CANADA TO START FRESH. JUST SIX MONTHS AGO PEOPLE LIKE ROB WERE DOING
THEIR PART TO HELP THEIR COUNTRY BUT NOW EVEN A DIE-HARD LEBANESE LIKE HIM IS PLANNING TO
LEAVE THE COUNTRY. I'M A VICTIM OF THIS OF THIS OF THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES EVEN THOUGH I LOVE MY COUNTRY
DESPITE EVERYTHING IT'S NOT A GOOD DECISION FOR ME TO STAY HERE AND ESPECIALLY THE FACT THAT I HAVE
A FRENCH PASSPORT MY TICKET OUT OF THE COUNTRY THAT IS NOW BECOMING REALLY HARD TO LIVE IN.
EVERYONE I TALK TO HERE BLAMES THEIR GOVERNMENT. THE OLDER GENERATION WENT THROUGH A WAR A 15-YEAR
LONG CIVIL WAR A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE IN THIS WAR ARE STILL ALIVE TODAY,
A WHOLE GENERATION THAT IS IN THAT IS COMPLETELY AFFECTED BY TRAUMA. IT MAKES YOU RETHINK THIS
WHOLE THING THAT MY PARENTS DID THE RIGHT CHOICE STAYING HERE WE HAD A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO TRY
TO LEAVE ESPECIALLY AFTER THE WAR AND EVERYTHING. DESPITE ONCE RAGING TO THE STREETS TO PROTEST
ITS YOUNG PEOPLE ARE ABSOLUTELY FED UP WE'RE DOCTORS WE CAN HELP IN THE HEALTHCARE ISSUE
BUT WE CAN'T FIX A WHOLE COUNTRY BY OURSELVES WE DON'T MIND LENDING A HELPING HAND BUT IT'S JUST
IT'S NEVER IT WAS NEVER OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX AN ENTIRE COUNTRY BY OURSELVES WALKING AROUND
LEBANON THERE'S ONE THING I'VE LEARNED LEBANESE PEOPLE ARE SO RESILIENT THEY'RE GOING THROUGH SO
MANY HARD TIMES IT'S GREAT TO TO LIKE BE RESILIENT AND LIKE NO IT'S LIKE AT THE END OF THE DAY YOU'RE
HUMAN IF YOU JUST LIVE WITH RESILIENCE AND JUST ACCEPT THE STATUS QUO YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY
FIGHTING FOR A BETTER FUTURE WE ARE RESILIENT PEOPLE WE'RE USED TO THIS HOWEVER I SEE IT AS
A FAILURE BECAUSE SOCIETY FAILED TO HELP
US YOU