PM Mikati engages in bilateral discussions and health sector reforms

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during the International Conference on Development and Migration in Italy on Sunday.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations between their countries and ways to enhance them.

In the Grand Serail, PM Mikati held a meeting on Monday in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh El Shami and Finance Minister Youssef Khalil, with the Banque du Liban (BDL) Governor's deputy, Wassim Mansouri, Bachir Yakzan, Salim Chahine, and Alexandre Mouradian.

PM Mikati also welcomed the French Ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Grillo.

After the meeting, she announced, "it was a farewell visit to the President, during which we reviewed the past three years, French-Lebanese cooperation, and discussed the situation in Lebanon on the day of the visit of the French envoy, Jean-Yves Le Drian. It was a constructive meeting."

Responding to a question, she stated, "I will take over the position of Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the French Foreign Affairs Ministry, and I will also continue to be interested in Lebanon."
  
Moreover, Mikati met with the Chairman of the Parliamentary Health Committee, MP Bilal Abdallah, who said after the meeting, "we had a meeting with the Health Minister, focusing on two main issues. Firstly, emphasizing the importance of strengthening the budget of the Health Ministry in the 2023 budget law. According to the health minister's data, the numbers presented in the draft law are insufficient to provide acceptable coverage for the Lebanese people from the ministry."

"Based on my preliminary study, we need a minimum of between LBP 150 to 200 billion for the Health Ministry, which is considered a top priority. We know the budget and revenue difficulties, but the minimum health coverage for non-insured citizens is urgently necessary. The suffering of people due to the lack of healthcare and the low medical fees is a comprehensive and national issue," he added.  

Abdallah wished the Cabinet would keep up with the Health Minister's promises. He mentioned that Mikati promised to enhance the budget of the Health Ministry and the State Employees' Cooperative in order for the public sector to continue its administrative tasks and provide minimum continuity. He also pledged to enhance the budget of the Social Security Fund through the state's commitments to this institution and all health funds.

In the second major issue, they reached an agreement with PM Mikati at the request of the Health Minister and a prior agreement between them to continue supporting cancer and chronic disease medications. Unfortunately, this issue was raised with some confusion after a recent meeting with the members of the BDL Governor's deputies in Parliament, where the issue of lifting the subsidy for these medications was raised.  

However, they decided, along with the Health Minister and PM Mikati, to reaffirm the necessity of continuing this support until the end of the year. Mikati firmly maintained this position; we stand by him because it is an utmost priority. No Lebanese citizen should have cancer or chronic diseases and be unable to access medication, especially since the Health Ministry is a refuge for patients covered by social security, the cooperative, and some security forces.

They also discussed the vacuum issue in the BDL's governance.

Abdallah stated, "we confirmed our stance as 'Democratic Gathering' that we support the appointment of a governor regardless of the constitutional considerations of some respected blocs. However, if there is a difficulty in the appointment, the Deputy Governor should bear the responsibility, as the vacuum in this institution is deadly and will negatively affect all Lebanese people, whether regarding the exchange rate, benefits, or total loss."

He believed that monetary stability is required at a minimum level and is the responsibility of all. He called for unity on this matter or for the First Deputy Governor to take responsibility with other MPs or proceed with appointing a governor.