BEIRUT, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Activists in Tripoli in northern Lebanon waged a protest Sunday to ask for 24-hour electricity supply and better healthcare, local media reported.
Protesters called on the authorities to provide them with 24 hours of electricity within 24 days and immediately open the doors of the hospitals to all patients, while securing social security for all citizens, independent online newspaper Elnashra reported.
They also demanded a price reduction of medical drugs, which are considered among the most expensive in the world, and the implementation of a residential project for the poor in the city.
According to the study conducted by the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs and the United Nations, 57 percent of the population in Tripoli are poor, 26 percent live under the poverty line, while 35 percent suffer from health problems and 25 percent are deprived of education.
Meanwhile, World Bank data showed that 53 percent of the 610,000 working-age individuals in the area have no jobs to help their families financially.
