The Information office of the Ministry of Public Health issued the following statement:

According to a media report, a man died of a heart attack in front of the duty free at Rafic El Hariri International Airport, with allusion to the failure of the Ministry’s health care department to respond to the case. The Ministry of Public Health would like to clarify the following:

First : the Ministry’s center at the airport is a quarantine station, and according to article 20 of the law regulating the Ministry of Public health issued by decree No. 8377 of 30 December 1961, it shall perform the following functions:

“preventing the spread of diseases to the country and abroad, taking the necessary measures in this regard on the land, sea and air  borders according to the international health regulations, and vaccinating the passengers at the international vaccination centers.”…

Second: the dispensary at the airport is a section of the Directorate of civil aviation. The Minister of Public Health Ghassan Hasbani has worked to develop the functions of the center and equipping it for emergencies that can occur at the airport. Equipment for cases that require immediate attention was also added before the ambulance reaches the airport.

The Ministry’s doctor rushed to the patient immediately after he was notified as he reached him within three minutes, but found him already dead.
Third: the deceased man hasn’t been transferred to the center but left on a seat, since the law does not allow anyone to touch the dead body unless by a judicial order.

The Ministry’s Health care center at the airport is not entitled to transfer the body to any hospital, as it only follows up the cases of passengers.