In a statement, the organization explained that the ongoing economic crisis placed an enormous burden on the "already fragile health sector," as the Lebanese lira is losing its value, which led the Ministry of Public Health to announce the lifting of subsidies on all medications, except those treating cancer and other chronic diseases, resulting in the prices to rise exponentially.
"People in Lebanon are facing unimaginable levels of suffering while trying to get their hands on life-saving medication. The Lebanese authorities, meanwhile, continue to shirk their responsibility to safeguard the right to health," said Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
The statement urged the Lebanese authorities to address the medication crisis by increasing the budget for PHCCs, addressing medication shortages, strengthening social assistance programs, and implementing overdue financial reforms "necessary to safeguard human rights."
"The international community should increase funding to organizations providing affordable and accessible health services," it added.
PHCCs, supervised by the Public Health Ministry and managed by non-governmental organizations, have become one of the few options available for residents seeking free and low-cost medication. However, despite the substantial increase in the number of people seeking their services, the centers still need to receive an increase in funding.
Based on the report, the director of the medication program at an organization that supplies medication to PHCCs told Amnesty International that "the new prices of medications are out of most people's reach, saying that "sometimes prices [are] double the minimum wage."
A Ministry of Public Health official also highlighted that the number of patients accessing health services at PHCCs has increased by 62 percent since 2020.
Due to the country's ongoing financial crisis, there are also acute shortages of unsubsidized medication, as importers need to bring in the necessary quantities of medicine.
With skyrocketing prices, people explained to the organization how the informal drug market emerged, letting medications that the MoPH does not accredit be imported from abroad through intermediaries, "resulting in an uncontrolled supply of expired or counterfeit medication, with risks to people's health."
The statement also stated that cancer patients are also importing their chemotherapy drugs, so they continue their treatments in hospitals, adding that other patients are rationing and substituting medicine to save money, leading to severe adverse health impacts.