The media office of Health Minister Firas Al-Abyad reiterated in a statement that "there is no intention to lift support for cancer medications, and it aims to completely deny all news circulating on social media about lifting this support."
He stated: "Minister Firas Al-Abyad clarified a few days ago the procedure being adopted to provide the maximum possible quantity of supported medications. The Ministry of Public Health, in consultation with scientific associations for cancer diseases, sought to identify the two least expensive medications from the group that contains the same therapeutic composition and include them in the list that enjoys full support at one hundred percent. This classification ensures that the patient receives their medication with the required effective composition and guaranteed quality on one hand, while on the other hand maximizing the benefit from support funds to purchase the largest possible quantity of medications. Thus, the ministry guarantees that support reaches the patient and not the trader."
He concluded: "Despite all of this, the Ministry of Public Health receives complaints about requests from some hospitals and cancer treatment centers for exorbitant and unjustified financial differences in the treatment costs for cancer patients. The ministry, which regrets that the crisis Lebanon is experiencing severely affects patients and the vulnerable and is not only financial but also ethical in nature, will not hesitate to take the utmost legal and punitive measures against hospitals and treatment centers and anyone seeking to exploit the crisis for illegal profits."
