10 October 2008

BEIRUT: Health Minister Mohammad Jawad Khalifeh said on Wednesday a project to provide the Lebanese people with medical cards would be launched next month, adding that a Cabinet session would be dedicated to health issues only. Khalifeh made his remarks during the opening of a workshop entitled, "The Hospitalization Bill: How to Determine and Monitor the Cost," which was organized by First Protocol at the Order of Physicians in Beirut.

"President Michel Sleiman has agreed to hold a Cabinet session for talks on the health-reform project, health insurance and hospitalization card," Khalifeh said.

He also lashed out at some Lebanese officials, whom he said "deliver resonant speeches to steer voters' feelings."

"Such speeches are delivered with the approach of parliamentary elections in order to gain people's votes under the slogan of demands that have lasted for years without solutions," Khalifeh said, adding that studies had been conducted to show that the government had done its best and the responsibility had become in the hands of "the other parties."

"How can we say that Lebanon consumes 12 percent of its national income on the health sector while the state dedicates 3 percent of its budget to the Health MinistryHealth Ministry?" he asked.

Khalifeh said that any spending "outside the framework of the state could not be counted."

Tackling the issue of health insurance, Khalifeh said the first institution that should have provided health insurance was the Social Security Fund.

"Unfortunately, it was not given the necessary support and care," he added. "The health sector needs financing. We want high insurance, excellent medical treatment and high-quality services but with a political speech that rejects the increase of taxes."

Khalifeh said that the Health MinistryHealth Ministry covered 210,000 cases in 2007 "amid an annual deficit of LL50 billion ($33.3 million)."

"However, no deficit has been registered in the past three years and the ministryministry is only supervising 50 percent of medical treatment," Khalifeh said, adding that medical centers had become pads for political parties and elections.

The minister also said the preparation for a compulsory health-insurance project for the non-insured was under way.

"Another project related to the medical card will be launched in mid-November for those who cannot afford medications for heart diseases, diabetes and pressure.

"A clear financial study will also be carried out as it is impossible to continue with the low prices adopted in hospitals," Khalifeh said.

Following the opening ceremony, two sessions were held in the presence of George Aftimos, the head of the Beirut Order of Physicians; Sleiman Haroun, the president of the Association of Hospitals; and Mohammad Karaki, the director general of the National Social Security Fund.

Karaki said the fund's offerings had reached 56 percent, adding that it had established new cooperation with the World Bank to study hospitalization costs.

"It is necessary to harmonize between giving service-providers just remunerations that enable them to preserve the quality of services and controlling costs while preserving the fund's financial balance," Karaki added.

Aftimos, meanwhile, said the main challenge was to provide a good medical coverage with an appropriate price. - The Daily Star

© Copyright The Daily Star 2008.

 

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