Medication crisis

Photo credit: Alsahafa.sd

According to today’s papers, the Pharmacists Union warned that a serious medication crisis is in the making, due to failure of the Central Bank to make good on earlier pledges to provide enough foreign currency to meet the needs of the domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing sector and drug importation.

The head of the union, Salah Suwar Al- Dahab, described central bank statements on the issue as "reckless", pointing out that a drug shortage crisis over the coming days will put the government in an extremely uncomfortable and inexcusable position, "especially since the national Pharmaceutical Council takes such statements seriously,", not least because of the consequent impact on sound decision-making by the Federal Ministry of Health.

Suwar Al- Dahab went on to challenge the Bank of Sudan to publish a list to prove fulfillment of pledges to provide foreign currency for the benefit of pharmaceutical companies, emphasizing the failure of the bank to provide $ 12 million to the domestic industry promised 9 months ago, adding that pledges «were mere propaganda » and stressing that the central bank failed to provide a single dollar for imported medications, which account for 80% of total consumption.

Although we believe that the planners who drew up the national currency's devaluation policy had based their estimates, at that time, on the fact that the new rate specified was less than the black market rate, such an assumption on their part was made on the basis that the Central Bank commands enough resources to allow it to intervene to maintain the new price by covering hard currency demand;  a premise which has clearly been disproved given the Central Bank ‘s inability to  address a crisis in a sector as vital as healthcare.

At that point, the Central Bank adopted precautionary measures to mitigate the impact of the looming price increase in essential consumer goods (sugar, flour, wheat, food oils and medications), and the announcement of local currency devaluation was preceded by official statements by the bank, indicating that it procured sufficient hard currency, although many pointed out the amount would be sufficient for no more than two months and, hence, the need to locate additional sources.

We look forward to contributions by economists on this issue in the form of scientifically-based and transparent discussion and estimates of its impact on the lives and health of people, most of whom have a hard enough time buying medications at the current prices, not to mention those who simply choose to go without!