Beirut: Activists call for health minister to resign

Activists called on Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil to resign over his failure to make good on his promise to provide health care for all Lebanese. Addressing a news conference at UNESCO Palace Thursday, officials from “Hakki Li,” or “My Right is Mine” campaign responded to earlier remarks by Khalil that he forwarded a plan to the Cabinet in February. “The minister has yet to disclose the details of his plan, especially as he promised to do so six months ago,” one of the activists said. Activists Mohammad Hamdan and Maryam Mhanna, who has seen a copy of Khalil’s plan, said that it calls for establishing a fund to provide health care for around 2 million Lebanese who do not benefit from the National Social Security Fund and other health care funds. They raised doubt over the seriousness in securing funds for the plan, as the draft 2012 budget does not allocate money for such a project. In a letter to Khalil, the activists urged him to resign after failing to implement his health care plan. They also announced that they would engage in protests near the Health, Finance and Labor ministries to call for providing all Lebanese with free health care. From dailystar