Government clashes with nurses over welfare and professional conduct

Deputy Health Minister Sleiman Kwidini has sparked outrage by telling nurses that “only God can reward” them, a comment that has stalled goodwill during International Nurses Day commemorations. Healthcare workers, long frustrated by low salaries and poor conditions, have clashed with the ministry over its dismissive rhetoric. While the government promises to channel resources toward welfare, nurses argue that these are empty pledges following years of industrial action. Tensions were further inflamed by official reprimands regarding nurses dancing in uniform, a directive issued shortly after a private donor paid staff to perform at a public hospital. The friction underscores a deepening divide between state management and essential service providers. The government is prioritizing optics over structural wage reform, leaving the public health sector in a state of volatile stagnation.