Lebanese pharmacies to go on strike

The Association of Pharmacies Owners in Lebanon announced a general strike across Lebanon starting from Friday morning, until the Ministry of Health issues regulations for medicines and classifies them according to the agreement with the Central Bank of Lebanon regarding the identification of subsidized and unsupported medicines.

The assembly said in a statement Thursday, that the strike comes after the Banque du Liban issued its final decision regarding limiting support to cancer medicines and incurable and chronic medicines for a limited period of time.

The statement added that importers almost completely stopped delivering medicine to pharmacies, after repeated attacks and cases of robbery on pharmaceutical institutions, in addition to the unprecedented spread of counterfeit and smuggled medicines in homes, warehouses, social media, and places of worship.

A concerned source in the Ministry of Energy and Oil told the correspondent of the Jordan News Agency "Petra" in Beirut that two ships loaded with oil are in Lebanese waters and will begin unloading in the evening, which will help alleviate the crisis.

In addition, the Qatari embassy in Beirut announced that it will provide support to the Lebanese army with 70 tons of food per month for a year.

Earlier Thursday, a Qatari Air Force plane arrived at Rafic Hariri International Airport, carrying 70 tons of food as a gift to the Lebanese Army.