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In Lebanon, a country gripped by an unprecedented economic and financial crisis, cancer patients have been fighting on two fronts: to beat the disease and to secure lifesaving medication.
While cancer medications are not regularly available through the Ministry of Public Health or other legal channels, desperate patients have resorted to the black market, where most drugs are forged.
Caretaker Public Health Minister Firas Abiad denied reports that cancer drugs have been smuggled from the ministry to the black market, stressing that “the medications that were donated (lately) were listed in Meditrack, enabling tight control over them.”
“Cancer medications went through two phases—before and after Meditrack,” Abiad told This is Beirut.
The minister noted that prior to the installation of Meditrack (a system for tracking medication distribution), “drugs had been leaked to the black market and might still be there.”
“Some seven months ago we had irregularities in the distribution, which is why we created Meditrack, which initially started with nine listed drugs and now has more than 250,” Abiad said, adding: “We have a better system now that allows us to keep tight control over drug distribution.”
According to Abiad, the two “most important” breast cancer medications are available in hospitals and covered by 90 to 100% for almost all patients.
Joe Salloum, President of the Lebanese Order of Pharmacists, complained that a large number of cancer medications are not available due to the ministry’s lack of funding to purchase them.
“We need 50 to 60 million dollars per month (to pay the medication bill), but we are paying only 25 million dollars. Therefore, more than 60% of cancer medications are lacking,” Salloum said in an interview with This is Beirut.
“Unfortunately, cancer patients are suffering from drug shortages and are forced to purchase them from the black market, where most are counterfeit,” he added,
