Lives at risk in Lebanon as medicine availability plummets

Lives at risk in Lebanon as medicine availability plummets

In their house in Achrafieh, which still bears the traces of the Beirut blast, 79-year-old Habib Copti, and 75-year-old Elham Copti, are counting the last medicine boxes to treat their different conditions.

“There are days when I can take my medication and others when we no longer have the necessary quantities. This forces us to have to skip doses. Sometimes we must mix different brands of medication to make sure we are getting the desired effect,” Habib said.

“The situation has worsened for my wife and I, but what can we do? Maybe other people are suffering even more than us,” he added.

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Retired for a little more than ten years with their assets blocked in the banks due to the ongoing crisis that the World Bank has described as one of the most severe crises episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century, they told Al-Arabiya English their increasingly complicated access to medication needed to treat their diabetes, hypertension and blood circulation problems.

“Before the crisis, Glucophage to treat diabetes cost 40,000 to 60,000 Lebanese Lira. It has risen to 300,000 Lebanese Lira and is unavailable in the country.”

“It is also