October 11, 2026
The joint parliamentary committees have not yet reached a final formula to approve the comprehensive health care law presented by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Health Committee, Representative Bilal Abdullah. Discussions focused on the mechanism for financing the project, whose cost is estimated at about one billion dollars annually, by imposing fees on substances that are harmful to health and some commercial activities, such as tobacco, alcohol, and energy drinks.
This project comes in light of the Lebanese citizen’s incurring heavy financial burdens to obtain hospitalization and medical care outside the framework of guarantee funds, as the cost of treatment at the citizen’s expense reaches 70% of his income, compared to 20% or 30% in neighboring countries. Abdullah asserts that “the right to health preserves human dignity and establishes social justice,” noting that the Ministry of Health needs between 300 and 400 million dollars to cover hospitalization, while the aforementioned comprehensive system requires half a billion dollars as a minimum.
The proposal was met with objections and concerns from representatives, the Ministry of Finance, economic bodies, and some medical associations, focusing on the refusal to impose any new taxes or fees on citizens in light of the current economic crisis, demanding that the system be approved without additional burdens, while Abdullah indicated that there are alternatives and ongoing discussions with the World Bank to obtain loans and supportive aid.
According to Abdullah, the project structure includes imposing a symbolic fee on the beneficiary citizen, provided that the project is managed through a specialized company, and under the supervision of a body headed by the Minister of Health and including specialists in pharmacy and statistics and an actuarial expert to set controls and regulations.
Representative Bilal Abdullah affirmed the committee’s openness to any amendment, addition or deletion, stressing that the principle of comprehensive and compulsory health coverage is the only way to restore reassurance and dignity of health care to the Lebanese citizen, especially in light of Lebanon’s possession of the best hospitals and medical staff and the absence of comprehensive care for all citizens. The final decision remains for the House of Representatives after completing discussions and studying the proposed fee package.
