TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Officials at Dar al-Shifaa Hospital in Tripoli urged Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil Thursday to speed up the issuing of health cards to accommodate the needs of patients without health insurance.

“The minister should launch the health cards for patients who are uninsured in order to avoid unfortunate incidents,” said the hospital’s medical director, Hasan Masri.

He was speaking during a news conference held at the hospital to respond to the Health Ministry’s decision to suspend its contract with the Dar al-Shifaa Hospital following the death of an infant.

Twenty-two-month-old Moemin al-Mohammad died at Dar al-Shifaa after he was denied treatment by several hospitals because his uninsured parents did not have enough money to cover his hospital stay.