A large proportion of pharmacies in Akkar, Tripoli, and the North adhered yesterday to the Lebanese Pharmacists Syndicate's decision for a partial strike until noon, protesting the suppliers' cessation of medicine deliveries whenever the exchange rate fluctuates. The compliance rate of pharmacies in the northern regions, particularly in Akkar, exceeded 90%. Dr. Raed Sabsi, a member of the Lebanese Pharmacists Syndicate, stated, "We have been suffering from a continuous crisis for four years. Companies have refrained from delivering medicines to pharmacies for four days, and whenever the dollar rises, they stop supplying us. This depletes pharmacies' stock and causes losses because we sell from our inventory, for example, at a dollar rate of 55,000 while the dollar has reached 61,000 lira in the black market, forcing us to pay out of pocket to cover the loss difference."
He added, "There is significant suffering, and we are left to face the patients as if pharmacies do not meet their needs. We affirm that some pharmacies have closed and declared bankruptcy, while others are on the brink because they cannot continue amidst this crisis." Some citizens visited the pharmacies in the morning and found them closed without prior knowledge of the closure announcement, while others waited until afternoon for pharmacies to reopen to secure their medications. Khaled Al-Rifai told "Nidaa Al-Watan": "I went to several pharmacies in Akkar to obtain medicine, but I found them closed and was unaware of the strike. I understand the pharmacies' situation and hope the Ministry of Health establishes stability for drug dollar pricing, as what is happening will make it difficult for citizens to secure their medications in the upcoming period."
Information indicates to "Nidaa Al-Watan" that the chaos in the drug market regarding prices and deliveries affects both patients and pharmacies, who are collectively facing a crisis with an unclear way out. The drug market in the North is experiencing a shortage of cancer medications and many difficult-to-obtain drugs, leading to a boom in the black market, forcing patients to resort to it. Some of these drugs are coming from across the border, particularly from Syria, where the black market controls the prices of both Lebanese and non-Lebanese medications as it has become the current refuge for securing them.
