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After talking about eliminating or rationalizing drug subsidies, the Lebanese people are concerned that one day they will not be able to buy drugs, especially drugs for chronic and incurable diseases, so they feel in danger of having to deal with their pain, in a time when we began to witness the loss of some of them from the pharmacies.
The head of the Pharmacists Union, Ghassan Al-Amin, and the Union of Drug Importers, Karim Jabara, considered that “the reason for this is the storage and smuggling of medicines. The fear of citizens of not being able to obtain the medicines It made them rush to buy and store them, in addition to the price of medicines in Lebanon, which is the cheapest in the region, because of the high price. The dollar led to their smuggling. “
We assure citizens that “drugs for chronic and incurable diseases will not change in price, and the price of those that are taken without a prescription will be rationalized.”
The Secretary
The head of the Pharmacists Union referred to the rationalization of the support, indicating that in “the last meeting of the ministerial committee, in the presence of the acting prime minister, Dr. Hassan Diab, the ministers of health and defense, and the interested unions and the guarantor institutions, a list of drugs that provide drug safety to the citizen was presented and an attempt was made to reduce support for non-essential drugs such as analgesics. With regard to incurable diseases such as cancer, he stressed that the subsidy will not be lifted and its price will remain at the official dollar exchange rate, that is, 1515, so its price will not increase. As for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cholesterol, they will also remain at the official price, but the value of the subsidies will fall from 85 to 80 percent, so their prices will remain the same. Citizens cannot do without these drugs and guarantors cannot pay the difference because their budget is in Lebanese pounds ”.
He added: “On the other hand, there are drugs that treat acute illnesses such as antibiotics and analgesics, and the patient does not take them except once a year. It was agreed that they would remain 80 percent subsidized, and are priced at $ 3,900. In Lebanon, the bill for medicines is high for two reasons. The first is that we are dependent on drugs. The original (Brand) is more than alternative medicine (Generic), and the second reason is the large consumption of drugs.
He pointed out that “another part of the medicines that are prescribed without a prescription, such as painkillers, are large, but their material value is less, since they constitute 15 percent of the medicine bill.” With regard to these drugs, there are two options: Either the drug for acute illnesses is priced or the subsidy is permanently removed, noting that “if the first option is adopted, the subsidy bill will be reduced by 225 million dollars, but if the second option is adopted, it will decrease 300 million dollars “, noting that the maintenance bill amounts to a total of one billion dollars.
He said: “We are waiting for the Council of Ministers and the Bank of Lebanon to take the decision on all these proposals. If approved, we will get out of a great dilemma, otherwise we will go to a very difficult place, where the patient will not be able to buy their medicine, and there will be bad social reactions that can lead to attacks. Furthermore, the insurance institutions that cover 63 percent of the Lebanese people and cover 80 percent of the price of medicines will not be able to continue.
Regarding the loss of some medicines in pharmacies, he said: “When two months ago they made a gesture to lift subsidies on medicines, the Lebanese rushed to buy the medicines and many of them were stored in homes, in addition to the issue of smuggling, because the medicines in Lebanon are the cheapest in the region, and this is what led to the loss of some medicines, but the Ministry of Health managed to end this problem and raided warehouses, agents and pharmacies.
He added: “This crisis has already subsided, but there are some drugs that are still missing because transactions with the Banque du Liban to import drugs take between one and two months, until approval is granted.”
He considered that “the best solution now is to rationalize the support so that the citizen believes in the safety of the medicines so that he is not deprived of his basic medicine”, pointing out that it is necessary to cancel the prescription of nf to prevent the pharmacist from giving him the patient an alternative medicine at a cheaper price, since canceling it will lead to a reduction in the drug bill.
Powerful
Jabara said: “The conversation about the lifting of subsidies is not allowed to be used to create a state of fear among the Lebanese. Nothing has changed with regard to the availability or lack of drugs in pharmacies.
He said: “There is no need to be afraid, since the plan presented by the Ministry of Health does not raise support, but rather guides it and saves it in the Bank of Lebanon, on the other hand, it does not bear the burden on the citizen or the guarantor, and does not transfer the burden of the Banque du Liban to the health sector. “
He noted that “the plan aims to streamline support, reduce the Bank of Lebanon bill, preserve the health sector and not burden citizens and guarantors with burdens they cannot bear.”
He explained that “65 percent of medicines, that is, those related to incurable and chronic diseases, will not increase in price, but on the contrary, some will decrease in price, because the Ministry of Health will implement a decision at the beginning of the year price of new drugs, and some drugs can go up 6 percent, anything simple. “
Regarding the medicines whose price may increase, he said: “They are medicines that are not always used on a regular basis, such as medicines that are given without a prescription, and despite this, the Ministry of Health is very interested in these medicines being a cheaper alternative so that the citizen can buy them ”.
He added: “There is no need to panic, and the formula that was adopted is that we should not be a burden to the citizen and the guarantors. The plan is studied in a way that makes its impact positive, and the ministerial committee made up of the Ministry of Health, the Bank of Lebanon, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and a group of unions carry some burdens to reach a result that satisfy the various parties and they are all convinced that we cannot continue as before, and each side must make sacrifices instead. What to maintain the health system ”.
He noted that “there are measures necessary to reduce the use of the drug, which will lead to the rationalization of use and will be made known later, and these measures do not affect the citizen or the health sector, as long as the problem does not pass from one place to another “.
He pointed out that “the Minister of Health of the interim government, Hamad Hassan, issued a decision that requires the importer to give the pharmacist his monthly needs, and that the pharmacist in turn give the patient his monthly needs, which helps to control the sale of the medicine and thus avoid its storage and contraband.
There are many plans and the result is one, decided by an official and a citizen who endures and fights to live.
