The central issue of drug shortages in the domestic market, accompanied by a lack of adequate supervision and decisive action to control the Lebanese-Syrian borders, has opened the door to drug smuggling into Lebanese territory. Patients are compelled to buy these drugs at any price, without undergoing medical tests to verify their compliance with health standards for safety and effectiveness, after losing hope of obtaining their treatments with dignity and legally. For more than a year, drug smuggling into Lebanon from various countries has persisted amidst widespread chaos, and the relevant official Lebanese authorities are aware of this situation but have not taken any firm actions accordingly.
What has become of the drug smuggling issue? Is there a solution? The head of the parliamentary health committee, MP Bilal Abdullah, affirms to "Al Markazia" that "the health committee has been following the matter, and there is no solution as long as the borders remain open to the smuggling of various goods and materials, including drugs," stressing that "it is high time for Lebanon to control its borders to address the continuous leakage of goods fundamentally."
Regarding the fate of the Iranian drug issue, which stirred media controversy about a year ago following the decision by former Health Minister Hamad Hassan to implement an emergency drug importation to address shortages due to stopping purchases from abroad by drug import companies after subsidy cuts and delays in securing the necessary funds from the Central Bank for imports, Abdullah mentions that "the Iranian drugs that were licensed through the proper natural channels are present in Lebanon and have a file at the Ministry of Health. However, the presence of other drugs in different locations without licensing, whether Iranian or Syrian or others, is heard about, yet there is no precise information regarding them, and this matter is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health." He hopes that "there are no smuggled drugs in Lebanon, as their quality and standards cannot be monitored. However, the shortage of medicines encourages smuggling from various countries; for instance, the trade of drugs through bags from Turkey has become well-known."
On the matter of expired drugs, which resulted in the arrest of a pharmacist in Jeb Jnin amid various narratives claiming an intentional sale of these drugs, while others say they are victims of not being returned, Abdullah points out that "the health committee has been tracking this issue with caretaker Health Minister Firas Al-Abiad and the pharmacist syndicate president Joe Saloom. The problem was the attempt to prevent the storage of drugs; previously, expired drugs could be returned to the importing company, and in cases of storage, they were returned without benefiting the patient. This is why the minister took a temporary measure prohibiting the return of medications in an effort to prevent storage and hoarding anywhere for any reason, avoiding any shortages of medicines. Pharmacists have opposed this procedure, claiming that it incurs losses if the drugs do not sell. Most likely, a meeting occurred between the health minister and the pharmacist syndicate president to address the matter."
He concludes, "The primary goal of the health committee is the patient, ensuring that no medication is stored either at a company, warehouse, or pharmacy without reaching the concerned individual, of course, while respecting medical professions whether for doctors, hospitals, or pharmacists according to the available data."
