Once again, pharmacies have closed their doors, raising their voices to address the severe shortages of medications on most of their shelves, jeopardizing citizens' health. This marks the fifth confrontation between pharmacies, the Ministry of Health, and pharmaceutical companies. Their stock of medications has evaporated, and their ability to purchase them has become nonexistent due to the dollar exchange rate differences between 24,000 and 34,000 lira, causing prices to skyrocket.
Thus, the drug crisis has resurfaced, this time threatening a serious health catastrophe if the Ministry of Health does not take action. Most pharmacies in Nabatieh have closed in compliance with the closure decision, as their stock of medications is "zero," endangering the health security of citizens still searching for medications in vain despite the removal of subsidies.
Pharmacies aim to raise awareness and form a pressure lobby to secure medications after falling victim to financial disputes and currency exchange discrepancies between the ministry and importing companies, while pharmacies are "taking the hit" by selling medications at the price of 26,000 lira to the dollar, yet having to purchase them at black market rates, which threatens many of them with bankruptcy and potential explosions in the medication situation.
This is not merely a momentary crisis; it has roots in Lebanon's economic crisis, which has escalated to put patients' health at risk. Most, if not all, medications are missing, with some available only in pieces, while companies have halted imports and refused to supply pharmacies, resulting in a chaotic health situation in the absence of a clear health policy. Even subsidized medication has disappeared, making it challenging for patients with diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and most chronic diseases to find their medicines easily. Some have started resorting to importing medications from abroad or relying on acquaintances in foreign countries to secure them.
Fatima, a woman in her sixties, could not find her specific diabetes medication despite searching most pharmacies in Nabatieh. She cannot stop taking it without risking her health, but she laments, "There is nothing I can do," and expresses regret about the necessity of having to beg for her medicine. She used to stockpile her medications, but in recent months it has become increasingly difficult to obtain them; she has had to resort to alternatives to save her life, but these substitutes are often unavailable, putting her life at risk.
Many have lost access to their medications due to the patchwork policies implemented by the Ministry of Health. Despite the removal of subsidies, the crisis remains unchanged; it has not improved at all, placing both patients and pharmacists at the heart of the issue while the Ministry of Health and pharmaceutical companies toss around responsibility.
"Our stock is gone, and we are waiting for a solution that must be swift. Today's crisis is more serious than previous ones unless the ministry signs the new medication index, yet the Minister of Health refuses to sign it, putting us in a state of serious health tragedy," he said.
Why has the drug market exploded again? Does the ministry have a solution? Is there an alternative plan?
The reason for the crisis, according to Al-Hajj, stems from "the vast gap in the price of medications between selling and buying. Additionally, pharmaceutical companies halt importation with every surge in the black market dollar, which is a grave issue no less serious than the loss of subsidized medications that the state fails to secure funding for and transfer abroad."
The ministry has a decision to allocate 35 million dollars to the Ministry of Health from the Housing Bank; however, this decision, which could save medications and patients, has not yet gone into effect. This implies that, in the pharmacists' calculations, we are on the verge of destroying pharmacies that have exhausted all their stock and are facing patients who have lost their medications and trust in their state.
The ball is now in the ministry's court; it must either score a goal in favor of patients by maintaining medication support and finding a settlement with companies, or shirk its responsibilities, at which point medication prices will go "wild" without any restrictions.
