While the shortages of essential products extend in the sector of fuels, drugs or even the food sector, until threatening the sectors of public and private electricity production, hospitals and transport, the governor of the Bank from Lebanon Riad Salamé steps up to the plate and defends himself with a press release.
The Governor of the Banque du Liban will pay the credits and invoices that will be submitted to the Banque du Liban by the banks and related to drugs, in particular drugs for chronic and incurable diseases, according to the priorities determined by the Ministry of Public Health on government decision.
The amount was received on Friday, July 2, 2021, up to an amount not exceeding four hundred million dollars, which also covers other imports, including flour, so as to ensure compliance with the ratio of compulsory investment.
This information comes as the controversy over the use of minimum reserves continues with the scheduled end of the subsidy program, leading to a further deterioration of the parity of the Lebanese pound against the dollar and the absence for the time being, of ” an operational rationing program for the most vulnerable populations in the face of the economic crisis.
For the time being, the Lebanese pound has thus lost more than 90% on the black market compared to its official value while 77% of the population could no longer buy food and the lines of motorists in front of petrol stations. ‘lengthen.
Even 33% of children would sleep hungry, a UNICEF report announced.
Many vital industries depend on an adequate supply of fuel. In addition to private rather than public transport in Lebanon, telephone exchanges and even mobile telephone networks could be severely disrupted, making the work of emergency services difficult.
Also, after the financial crisis and that of the coronavirus, the shortages of drugs also induced by the refusal also of the Bank of Lebanon to pay the pharmaceutical companies in order to import them into Lebanon, the hospitals fear that the electricity shortages could also affect the local health situation. Their leaders like Dr. Firas Abiad of the Rafic Hariri University Hospital or the president of the association of owners of private hospitals, Dr. Sleiman Haroun, both expressed their fears of seeing their generators stop working for lack of fuel.
The bakeries did not remain with the shutdown of their ovens, also lack of diesel. Their union is already asking for an increase in the price of bread because of the increase in fuel prices.
