ZIAD (47 years old), is on a life-time medication for a chronic blood disease since he was 34 years old. Those medications have been missing from the market because people use them as medications for Covid-19. “Also, the fact that the currency (USD) not available with the pharmaceutical companies that usually import those meds, impacted a lot on the quantities in the market. When the importer cannot buy enough quantities, the med will go missing from the pharmacies and from the people who needs it.” Some of the medication’s prices have increased, and some are missing from the market, especially the blood thinning medications, the vitamins, and chronic diseases medications.
Ziad needs 3 different medications, all of them are missing now. “Aspitol 81 mg: it contains 120 tablets; I take 2/day. My last box finished a while ago.“The truth is that the medication industry in Lebanon is a business in itself, and being controlled by the traders. The Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon and the ministry of health who is supposed to do something about it are not
doing anything to stop it.”
But I had ordered some form Turkey that contain only 30 tablets so it lasts 15 days only. Its generic Aspicot is as well missing in Lebanon.” “I have another med that treats as well blood clotting, and of which I need one tablet in the afternoon. Its name is Sintrom 1 mg. I was not able to buy
more than 1 box; they wouldn’t let me. It lasts for like 35 days. This as well is a medication that I cannot stop. “Last week they stopped a woman at the airport going to Africa with 400 boxes of medications, and she was trying to leave without being searched. The officer who caught this operation had a huge fight with another officer who was intending to help her leave with the meds.
He is not sure if these medications are available in Lebanon, and stored at the pharmaceutical companies to be sold later on with higher prices. “I don’t believe they are in Lebanon. The port of Beirut is out of order and destroyed for more than 6 months now, and all the products that were
stored there are lost. ”Ziad lost his job recently, since the things started deteriorating in Lebanon after the October 19th revolution.” I used to work in a security company. My job consisted of working as a body guard or escort as for example bring the crew of airplanes to their hotels and back to their flights, and escort them during their stay.” “This was in a way the deletion of my role and thus of my work. I used to make this trip back and forth 3 times a day. Now my work was abolished and cancelled.”
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