Head of Pharmaceutical Importers’ Syndicate, Karim Jabara, indicated that “since the beginning of the year, there has been no change in the subject of medicine except for some technical improvements by obtaining import approvals, and the dilemma is allocating the amount of 25 million, which is not enough to meet the needs of Lebanese patients, and in our view the need is for 50 million.”

He added via a radio interview that “cancer drugs that come from abroad are insufficient,” stressing that “the drug card is a direct support for the patient.”

For his part, head of the Pharmacists Syndicate, Joe Salloum, indicated that “the drug card unifies the boxes, and it is the solution that authorizes the patient to purchase the drug directly from inside the pharmacy,” noting that “the Ministry of Health is the one that sets the prices for the drug.” He also considered that a drug emergency should be declared, and a call for and a donors conference, to support the card”.

On the other hand, the head of the Parliamentary Health Committee, MP Assem Araji, said: “We raised our voice to raise drug subsidies to 50 billion dollars because the amount allocated for incurable, chronic and cancerous diseases is insufficient. There is chaos in the country and smuggling through the crossings.”