Lebanon to swap medical expertise for Iraqi oil

Lebanon to swap medical expertise for Iraqi oil

Lebanon and Iraq have signed a preliminary agreement to exchange Lebanese medical expertise for Iraqi fuel supplies.

Lebanese caretaker health minister Hamad Hassan and his Iraqi counterpart Hassan Al Tamimi signed "a framework agreement ... that includes [the supply of] oil in exchange for medical and hospital services", Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) said.

Lebanon's state-run electricity company faces dire cash shortages as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Oil-rich Iraq, which has seen Covid-19 cases soar in recent weeks, suffers from a chronic lack of drugs and medical care, and decades of war and poor