Amid a complete collapse with the disintegration of state institutions, the pharmacists' syndicate is moving on various fronts, urging officials to act quickly to save the situation. Pharmacists' Syndicate head, Joe Salloum, indicates that the syndicate is taking a leadership role at this stage to raise its voice "to preserve the Lebanon we believe in and the civilizational economic face and the health image that was once called the hospital of the East... this is the Lebanon we are fighting for."
Salloum holds the authorities collectively responsible for the collapse of the healthcare sector and all sectors in the country, "because the handling of the situation has been very poor." In a statement to mtv, he says, "They paid $8 billion in support, which went to smuggling abroad without anyone acting to control the smugglers. And when there were no more funds for support, they allowed smuggled medicine to enter Lebanon through both legal and illegal crossings, turning a blind eye to illegal clinics that have become a haven for counterfeit drugs."
This decline we have reached is due to several factors, with Salloum believing that "everyone had a hand in this situation, especially in light of the absence of any sound medication or health policy, in addition to ignoring the existence of factories and failing to encourage them to undertake local industries to cover all sectors." He continues: "We have factories we are proud of, but our policy should have been based on supporting industry, believing in it, stimulating it, and directly supporting the patient through a health card. However, on the ground, policies have been piecemeal and benefits awarded to a select few."
The black scenario that health stakeholders have long warned about has indeed begun, with citizens unable to secure their medications or receive necessary medical services in hospitals. Here, Salloum points out that "the black scenario exists today and is worsening; it encompasses all sectors. The solution requires a political decision, so we urge officials to elect a president for the republic and establish an effective government with genuine rescue operations and bold decisions that serve the patient and every Lebanese, especially since politics controls every detail in Lebanon."
The practical solution begins with serious efforts to implement rapid treatments, alongside a conscience awakening as the constitutional, economic, and financial life of the country must be regularized. Salloum states, "Everything will be regularized if there is real will, but if the situation continues as it is, we are heading towards a sick society, facing a real threat to health security and food security."
