Undocumented in Lebanon Refused Testing

COVID-19 tests can cost upwards of $500 in parts of Beirut. (Flickr)

Individuals without identification papers have been refused COVID-19 testing at Lebanese hospitals, leaving undocumented migrant workers and refugees particularly vulnerable to the growing pandemic. Coupled with the dire financial crisis that Lebanon struggled with prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the current situation poses a severe health risk for undocumented individuals in Lebanon.

Undocumented people in Lebanon are primarily migrant workers from Southeast Asia and Africa and Syrian or Palestinian refugees. According to Human Rights Watch, refugees often lack any documentation and have little access to adequate healthcare in refugee camps. Many migrant workers lose any documentation they have, as employers often confiscate passports and IDs. This practice, Al Jazeera reports, is pervasive among employers in Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East. Many migrant workers escape abusive employment situations only to find themselves as undocumented aliens. The combination of the Lebanese financial crisis and the rise of COVID-19 leaves migrant workers and refugees in a dangerous limbo.

According to Al Jazeera, a source at the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut reported that the hospital will treat anyone in “an emergency condition.” However, since the hospital is required to provide the name of every person tested to the state, they need documentation in all but “emergency” cases to administer a COVID-19 test. It is possible that the hospital makes tests available for purchase, but cost becomes another hurdle.

In parts of Beirut, COVID-19 tests cost anywhere from $99 in certain private clinics to $498 in larger hospitals. These high costs make tests prohibitive for undocumented individuals, who often struggle to pay rent and afford basic necessities.

Undocumented people also face another fear: deportation. In an interview with NPR, one Syrian refugee expressed her concerns for the health of her family as well as the prospect of being sent back to Syria, still grappling with a decade-long civil war. In addition to the lack of social distancing at refugee camps that have “barely any space between each tent,” many refugees fear that they may be deported back to Syria if they seek medical attention. Although Lebanese General Nabil Hanoun assured that “no Syrian seeking treatment would be sent back to Syria,” skepticism towards this statement is not unfounded. Human Rights Watch reported in 2019 that the Lebanese Armed Forces demolished around twenty Syrian refugee camps and deported thousands. This leaves refugees hesitant to reach out to healthcare providers.

While the crisis-stricken country attempts to manage its financial and COVID-19 challenges, the possibility of a humanitarian crisis looms. Arab News reports that as Lebanese medics predict “horror movie conditions” and the government braces for peak infection rates in the coming days, the hope that undocumented people receive necessary medical attention seems unlikely.