The caretaker Minister of Public Health, Firas Al-Abyad, stressed “the importance of defining a package of basic health services in Lebanon as a necessary first step towards comprehensive health coverage,” noting that “the Lebanese health system was focusing on advanced medicines and specialized care without paying attention to primary care and preventive measures.” Such as early detection tests for cancer. He pointed out “the importance of the basic services package covering all Lebanese and financing it from several sources.”
Al-Abyad said during a series of specialized workshops on comprehensive health coverage, organized by the Ministry of Public Health over three days in cooperation with a World Bank delegation visiting Lebanon: “It is clear that we are going to a new health system. We have to make a decision in this regard. The experiences of other countries It shows that there is no ideal health system, but that each of the approved systems has advantages and disadvantages, and we must choose the system that is best for our society. The current situation cannot continue, as the citizen is forced to pay from his pocket about eighty percent of the health bill, which means that a number of citizens cannot obtain “The health services they need. There is no doubt that the lack of equity in access to services will lead to many social and economic problems.”
He explained that “health spending in Lebanon before the crisis, that is, before 2019, ranged between $750 and $1,000 per person annually, including thirty percent from the citizen’s pocket and without any comprehensive health coverage. While health spending in Turkey amounts to $370 per person annually with insurance.” Comprehensive health coverage. Al-Abyad said that these numbers show that Lebanon was spending a lot without obtaining the required results, while other countries spent less and more effectively.
2024-02-21 07:41:41
#AlAbyad #talks #health #system
