Candidate for Pharmacists Syndicate, Joe Salloum, explained that pharmacists suffer the same as the Lebanese citizen, or even more, and “this is not our first strike, but what is distinguished about it, is that it is the cry of every Lebanese citizen who cannot find medicine.”

He continued in a radio interview: “The aim of our strike is to demand rationalization of drug subsidies, especially the Lebanese manufactured drugs which are of high quality, and arejecting any ban on imports because we have a free economy and we do not want new pharmaceutical massacres.”

Salloum added:

“medicines are available on black market at imaginary prices or outside Lebanese borders”knowing that the Lebanese citizen is paying for these medicines from his own money,  and our demand is to rationalize support, especially the Lebanese medicine of high quality, and to deliver it to the citizen in a dignified way ”

He continued: “The pharmacists and the union are alongside and we complement each other. What is important is to be able of providing the citizens with medicines without any more humiliation. We hope that our scientific firms  will sustain, and our universities keep opened, as we do not want to lose our capabilities, especially since the authority is deaf and mute, carrying out its interests at the expense of the citizen’s interests, but we have to raise our voice, perhaps the of officials’ consciences will reconsider the status quo.”