Lebanon’s Medicine Shortage implies curable conditions could go wrong and fatal

In light of the country's continued regressive trajectory and the daily worsening of the Dollar exchange rate, issues that should've been dealt with long ago are now resurfacing. Many diseases formerly considered treatable due to their simplicity of treatment are once again dangerous due to drug shortages.

Pharmacy workers and the Red Cross of Lebanon's Secretary-General George Kettani have been pressing for the authorities to provide medicines for terminal conditions since the crisis began.

In an interview with LBCI, Kettani stated that the Red Cross relies on donated or foreign-funded drugs.

 During the evacuation of numerous patients to the ER, the Red Cross of Lebanon saw that their worsened conditions were caused by their failure to take their medicine.

The lack of new dollars and the depreciation of the whole Lebanese Pound are directly responsible for the medicine scarcity.

On Tuesday, pharmacists around the country shut down their businesses in protest and assembled in the front of the Ministry of Health to make their demands known, including an end to the unchecked smuggling of pharmaceuticals.

Also this week, the health sector embarked on a two-day strike over the Central Bank's rules and processes that prevent hospitals from receiving their cash in hand when their owners require cash to acquire drugs, medical supplies, gasoline, as well as all other expenditures.

Bakery proprietors, cab drivers, even bank customers among others staged a series of protests and blockades on May 26, as well as public sector activists.