On Monday, the finance and budget committee approved the health ministry budget, adding more funds for hospitals and primary healthcare centers, according to MP Ibrahim Kanaan, committee chair, the state-run National News Agency reports (NNA).
The committee requested a transfer of 8,000 billion Lebanese liras (LL) from the 25,000 billion reserve to the hospitalization budget, equivalent to 89.6 million dollars at the current market rate, Kanaan announced after the meeting. Another notable request was a transfer of 1,000 billion L.L (over 11 million dollars) to primary healthcare centers.
Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine, Director of Public Finance Georges Maaraoui, and several MPs attended the committee meeting.
Regarding hospital funding, Kanaan noted that “even with the requested increase, it does not cover a third of actual needs,” but said the allocation would make the situation “better than the current one.”
The finance committee “made a positive decision in principle for this transfer from reserves, provided that the health minister submits a written request explaining the reasons, to be finalized at the committee’s last session within two weeks,” Kanaan added.
Improving primary healthcare centers, including preventive care, would also “reduce the burden on patients and the state,” he said.
“There are 340 preventive centers across Lebanon, and this is the first time a budget has been allocated to enable them to carry out their missions,” the committee chair welcomed.
Kanaan added, however, that the allocation of over 11 million dollars to these centers “is conditional on a strict audit of fund disbursement mechanisms and service delivery.”
Additionally, the health minister mentioned cooperation programs and donations from the Islamic Bank and World Bank providing advanced medical equipment, currently distributed to public hospitals, according to Kanaan.
Last month, the Salam government launched a public hospital equipment plan, funded by the World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), covering 36 hospitals in Lebanon.
Kanaan also confirmed a request to “increase funding for medications for chronic diseases and cancer,” noting that amounts will be “set at the committee’s final session after receiving a written note from the health minister detailing the needs.”
Lebanon’s hospital sector has been severely weakened by the 2019 economic and financial crisis, facing shortages of medicines and equipment.
In the evening, the committee approved the Environment Ministry budget while suspending the item on waste treatment plants “pending clarifications on their operation and usage,” NNA reported.
The Telecommunications Ministry budget was also approved, “with requests for clarifications regarding the Regulatory Authority and its salaries, as well as Ogero and its activities,” according to the agency.
The Regulatory Authority members, a cornerstone of the 2002 law reorganizing telecommunications in Lebanon, were appointed in September 2024 after more than 20 years of delay.
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