What awaits us in the coming years is frightening and serious, as it is a direct result of what we are experiencing today. It is not normal to say that we are heading toward a "major health crisis" and that the Lebanese will lose years of their lives. The loss of medications or the inability to access them represents two forms of slow and delayed death. These will inevitably lead to a decline in the average life expectancy of the Lebanese, as confirmed by the head of the pharmacists' syndicate, Joe Seloum, to MTV.
He states, "The loss of medications or the inability to obtain them has several ramifications, some of which are immediate while others are long-term. For instance, the loss of cancer medications leads to death or the worsening and spreading of the disease. Other medications, when lost, result in complications for patients, such as cardiac issues or arteriosclerosis, which will, in the long term, increase the pharmaceutical expenses."
Seloum emphasizes that "after two or five years, if we reach political and economic stability, we will witness a major health crisis, meaning we will have a sick society afflicted by numerous diseases and complications." He explains that previously, citizens could avoid illnesses through preventive medicine and vitamins, but today, no one relies on preventive medicine; instead, "we wait for things to happen… if we can control them, we will, and if not, we won't."
Seloum anticipates that pharmaceutical bills will double "because, in addition to the diseases that will be rampant in society after a time, we will face a society afflicted with complications from diseases that are costly to treat." This crisis has serious repercussions for the treatment of patients. A diabetes patient described the danger of this situation to MTV, stating: "After losing hope in finding the medication my doctor prescribed, I've been using a substitute and I do not find the same efficacy; I feel like I've returned to the first stage of my illness, before taking the medication, and I worry at night because 'the medication is not easing my condition.'"
Are alternative medications also having a negative impact on the health of the Lebanese? Resorting to locally manufactured or registered medications does not pose a risk, regardless of whether they are generic or brand name, as long as their quality is known. However, the main problem is that some people turn to smuggled medications amid the drug shortage. A large portion of these medications may be expired or counterfeit, or improperly stored, which is where the core problem lies, according to Seloum.
Thus, what awaits us on the health front is concerning, as slow death lurks for patients. It seems our life expectancy is bound to decrease due to the loss of medications on one hand and the absence of preventive medicine on the other.
