The head of the Union of Pharmaceutical Importers, Karim Jbara, indicated that “Some of the medicines are still subsidized with an insufficient budget available to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Health, but it is insufficient to meet the needs of the market, and others they are not subsidized and are not covered by the guaranteeing companies. There are networks for smuggling medicines into Lebanon “.
Jabara added in an interview with “Voice of Lebanon”: “There are a large number of medicines that are said to come from Turkey as counterfeits and the smuggling of medicines has created a black market and sold it at a high price.”
He also pointed out that “the asthma drug is available to me and supported, and the drug monitoring system implemented by the Ministry helps deliver the drug to the patient who needs it.”
Jabara stressed that “there is a black market that buys subsidized medicines and then resells them at an unsubsidized price. 80% of the subsidy money goes to medicines for incurable diseases.”
He concluded: “The debts of the importing companies must be paid, as between illegal speculation, black market and subsidized medicine, their income has become low.”
