The Ministry of Health have revealed a plan to avoid a crisis that might affect all the Lebanese people. The list of subsidized medicines includes medicines for chronic and incurable diseases, infant formula, vaccines, and mental and neurological diseases.

Unsubsidized medicines include medicines with prices less than 12 thousand pounds and what can be secured through primary health care centers. The minister stressed that everything that was supported during two years is within one hundred million dollars. He pointed out that “the insurance of medicine in the market is related to bank transfers to the governance of the central bank.”

Many questions are asked, especially on what exchange rate for the dollar will be approved, especially subsidized medicines, is it on the 3900 or on the 1500? Hassan said, “This matter is related to the relevant decisions, and we are working on them according to the lists, and it is certainly not the market exchange rate. All the insured medicines in warehouses, companies and pharmacies, we put certain lists, that will be issued monthly, based on a specific exchange rate”.

The plan is based on the activation of health care centers, meaning that chronic diseases medicines will be transferred from pharmacies and will be sold in those centers.

Facing this reality, will this plan be able to deter pharmacies from closing? “The plan that was developed achieves important goals, the first of which is the reduction of smuggling, and secondly, the availability of medicine in pharmacies.”

The plan of the Ministry of Health is a positive step in efforts to find a solution to the drug crisis and to partially control the issue of smuggling, but the decision belongs to the Central Bank governance.