Medicine Shortages In Lebanon Are Forcing Cancer And Diabetes Patients To Die Slowly

Daily Beirut

Pharmacies in Nabatieh and its region suffer from the loss of medicines for cancer patients. The meds have been circulated on the black market by dealers who buy them from Turkey, Iran, and Syria at prices ten times higher than they were in pharmacies.

For instance, cancer medicine, which is usually sold in pharmacies for 1,000,000 LL, is being sold on the black market for 10,000,000 LL.

This makes these life-crucial meds inaccessible to many patients, forcing them to die slowly in their suffering.

Pharmacies also suffer from a shortage of medicines for heart patients, because medicine importing companies deliver only one box to each pharmacy in the region.

Diabetes and hypertension medicines have also increased in prices by 30% compared to last week. The price of diabetes medicine “Janumet” has reached 1,350,000 LL and hypertension medicine has reached 300,000 LL.

Pharmacies are complaining but their complaints are not being heeded by those in charge.