431,308 Boxes of Chronic Disease Medication Donated To Lebanon
On Monday, December 19th, Minister of Public Health Firas Abiad received a Qatari donation of 431,308 boxes of chronic disease medication. According to the NNA, the boxes are divided over 11 types of medicine, based on the Ministry of Public Health’s list of what is most in need.
In a press conference, Abiad, flanked by an advisor to the Qatari ambassador to Lebanon and the head of the Qatari Red Crescent in Lebanon, thanked the Gulf nation for its continued support of Lebanon, and especially its struggling medical sector.
قدمت #قطر هبة مؤلفة من (431,308) علبة دواء لأحد عشر صنفا من أدوية الأمراض المزمنة الأكثر احتياجا بحسب لائحة وزارة الصحة في #لبنان . ٧٠٪ من لوزارة الصحة و ٣٠٪ لقوى الامن الداخلي .
— إيهاب العقدي (@EhabElokdy) December 19, 2022
Out of the received 431,308 boxes, 70% are set to go to the Ministry’s healthcare centers, to be distributed for free to those in need. The remaining 30% will be given to the Ministry of the Interior, which is set to distribute them to ISF-run pharmacies for officer access.
Earlier this year, cancer patient and activist Fawzia Fayad passed away. She had been a prominent critic of Abiad and the ministry and spoke of Lebanon’s constant cancer drug shortages post-2019. Hopefully, this donation will be used to make sure that no more drug shortages hit the country’s most vulnerable.
