Cancer and Catastrophic diseases drugs at discounted prices to Palestinians refugees in Lebanon – UNRWA press release

Cancer and Catastrophic Diseases Drugs at Discounted Prices to Palestinians

Beirut — The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reached an agreement with the Ministry of Public Health to avail at discounted rate medications for cancer and other catastrophic diseases for Palestine refugees in Lebanon.

Thanks to this agreement, which begins in March 2011, Palestine refugees will be able to make a financial saving that ranges between 3 and 60 per cent depending on the type of medications that they will be purchasing from the third party provider identified by the Ministry of Public Health.

Until now, refugees were buying such medicines from the local market and UNRWA was reimbursing cancer patients only 50 per cent of the cost up to a ceiling of US$ 8,000 per patient per year. Under the new agreement UNRWA will continue to pay its 50 per cent subsidy for cancer drugs, but Palestinian cancer patients will benefit from the discount wholesale rate given by the drug provider that has been identified by the Ministry on their share of the drugs cost. Moreover, the Palestinian cancer patient will not wait to be reimbursed the 50 per cent from UNRWA as he/she will only be paying his/her share at the discounted rate and directly to the representative of the third party provider in his/her area. The patients suffering from other catastrophic diseases will continue to pay the full cost of the medications but will benefit from the discount wholesale rate offered.

The Minister of Health in the caretaking government, Dr Mohammed Jawad Khalifé, said: This project is a collaborative initiative for the purpose of improving the situation of Palestinian patients with cancer and other catastrophic medical conditions by supplying them with needed medications, since, legislation does not allow the direct access of Palestinian patients to Karantina warehouse and receiving medications for free from the Lebanese Ministry of Health. The Lebanese Ministry of Health is committed to facilitate this programme and we are ready to provide any further support that is needed.

Thanking the Ministry of Health for its continuous support to UNRWA and to Palestine refugees, the Director of UNRWA Affairs Lebanon, Salvatore Lombardo, said: This agreement will have a positive impact on Palestinian refugee patients who will be making substantial savings when purchasing life-saving medicaments and at no cost to the Ministry’s budget. This is a first step in trying to reduce the health cost burden on Palestinian refugees.

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