Wael Traboulsi (37 years old), who suffers from colon cancer, did not find relief in surgical operations to remove the malignant tumor from his body, so he resorted to chemotherapy, which did not succeed either. Traboulsi is one of the patients facing the rising costs of essential medical supplies in their daily lives. He recounts his daily need for two urine collection bags, which range in price from 8 to 10 dollars. This is a significant amount that he cannot afford, forcing him to use the same bag multiple times, which has caused him to develop infections at the stoma site, worsening his condition.
The difficulties do not end with the high cost of the bags; there are other supplies he needs for his health condition, including the base that accompanies the bag, priced at 6 dollars, and the adhesive for it (18 dollars), along with the wound disinfectant and skin barrier (15 dollars). Thus, with a simple calculation, the daily cost for a colon cancer patient (excluding treatment medications) amounts to two million Lebanese pounds based on the exchange rate of the US dollar in the black market.
Furthermore, aside from the costs of these supplies, patients experience a decline in their condition due to the shortage of medications and delays in receiving treatment. Traboulsi was among those affected, as his treatment was postponed for three months due to a medication shortage. He frequently turned to buying medication from the black market in Turkey, which increased his pain and urgent need for pain relievers that are not always available. This was the case with morphine, which is essential for many cancer cases, but it ran out about two weeks ago. In light of this reality, we are hearing about some patients turning to what is known as hashish oil as an alternative to the unavailable morphine to alleviate their constant pain.
