Cancer care in Lebanon and the climate-proofing of a burning phoenix.

Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, has been burnt and rebuilt seven times, earning the title of an urban phoenix. Its strategic geolocation in the heart of the Mediterranean gave the country leverage for the economy, by becoming a hotspot for trade through its different ports. Its cultural and religious diversity provided a fertile ground for businesses to grow, most importantly the banking and healthcare sector. The strategic location also put the country in the eye of the storm of different major crises, leaving the small country a crippling state, swamped with political corruption, nepotism, fragile infrastructure, and an overall dysfunctional system. In October 2019, the collapse of the banking system led to a state of hyperinflation in the country, with the financial and economic crisis in Lebanon now ranked in the top 10 most severe crises episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century. This crisis exposed the extent of corruption and dysfunctionality: a fragmented healthcare sector struggling to protect the vulnerable populations especially cancer patients, a workforce seeking exodus due to challenging work conditions amid a state of hyperinflation, and a fragile infrastructure unable to withstand climate changes in one of the hottest and driest areas on the planet, the Middle East. Despite being caught in this turmoil, Lebanon still managed to update its national climate pledge under the Paris Agreement. However, the financial recovery plan that is aiming to revive the economy and overcome short-term financial challenges, has a risk of affecting long-term climate-proofing efforts. In a multilevel crisis-torn country, it might be difficult to look on the impact of climate change in particular on cancer care, without accounting for the other ongoing troubles. In such circumstances, protecting public health becomes a major challenge yet a priority. The resilience of the system is currently being tested as the crisis evolves, and should be continuously monitored.