Al-Abyad Reassures Cancer and Chronic Disease Patients

A statement was issued today, Friday, by the media office of the Minister of Public Health in the caretaker government, Firas Al-Abyad: "Today's Cabinet session carries reassuring news for our cancer and chronic disease patients, as our proposal to fund their medications for three months was approved, with an amount equivalent to three thousand billion Lebanese pounds, which restores the regular mechanism for financing and distributing medications." He stated: "This decision comes from the Cabinet today while awaiting the approval of the general budget, where the Health Ministry's budget will include an amount dedicated to medications for cancer and chronic diseases, estimated at about fourteen thousand billion Lebanese pounds annually." He emphasized that "the aforementioned steps would not have been achieved were it not for a joint and appreciated effort between the government, the Ministries of Public Health and Finance, and the Lebanese Parliament, especially the health and finance and budget committees." He concluded by noting that "there is no doubt that the extended period of crises for more than four years, on all financial, economic, health, and political levels, may reflect a delay in approving solutions, but it has not and will not succeed in obscuring them. We are continuing to solve the problems related to medications and organizing the market, committed to standing by our patients and our people."