Caretaker Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad at a press conference Sunday at the government hospital in Nabatiyeh. (Credit: NNA)
Caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad on Sunday announced an upcoming increase in the cost of oncology treatments in Lebanon, the state-run National News Agency reported.
The announcement came during a visit with a European medical delegation to a government hospital in Nabatiye, South Lebanon.
"We will soon announce an increase in the rates in cancer treatment centers, as well as the fees of the general practitioners," Abiad said in a press conference after the visit.
He asked "the government for more support in the budget" granted to the Ministry of Health, calling for "priorities" to be established for the coverage of certain treatments.
Abiad also announced that, in agreement with the Ministry of Finance, the funds due to hospitals by the state will be paid within a few weeks, and promised the arrival of cancer drugs in Lebanon "within a month and a half."
The minister stressed the importance of public hospitals in Lebanon's health landscape, pointing out that "public hospitals have certain cancer drugs, especially some basic drugs that are difficult to obtain elsewhere."
Cancer drugs have been virtually unavailable in the country since the economic crisis began three years ago. The Ministry of Health is trying to fight these shortages, as well as the smuggling of subsidized drugs that include cancer treatments.
"After the crisis, we went through, large sums of money were disbursed for public health coverage, including the Ministry of Health," said Abiad.
He further emphasized that the ministry focuses "mainly on covering dialysis patients and the treatment of cancer patients. We also cover urgent operations, especially for heart attack victims."
In a report published on Feb. 9, Amnesty International denounced the shortages of drugs in Lebanon — especially those used to treat cancer — and the "unaffordable" price of non-subsidized drugs, stressing the "unimaginable suffering" of patients facing this situation.
The international organization called on authorities to ensure "the availability and accessibility of medicines, even in the current situation of financial challenges," including increasing the budget of primary health centers.
Lebanon has been suffering from severe shortages of pharmaceuticals since the onset of a widespread economic crisis in October 2019. Many patients are forced to obtain their treatments abroad and in hard currency.
After the removal of government subsidies on a large portion of medicines that began in November 2021, many products became unaffordable for a large portion of the population.