The last chapters of the drug crisis in Sudan: No anesthesia of the teeth

Alawiya Mukhtar-Khartoum

Ramaz, 30, and her family spent a hard day knocking on the doors of pharmacies in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, searching for rabies doses to treat her younger sister, who was bitten by a domestic dog.

Her family was worried 24 hours later without adequate treatment, fearing that their young child would be infected with rabies and thus die.

"All of our relatives and acquaintances in Khartoum rushed to search for rabies doses to no avail, until we got dosing through friends and fled from one of the pharmacies that run the drug trade through the bag," says Ramaz. From abroad in informal ways. "

Safe was not better than Ramaz, where she was on a long search for medicine for her mentally ill mother.

"We have had a bad week and my mother's psychological and physical state has deteriorated. She suffers from schizophrenia, delayed treatment prevents her from sleeping day and night, and lost her appetite completely until we finally got the medicine," Amna told Al Jazeera Net.

Safer and safe suffering is part of a severe crisis experienced by the Sudanese since the government's decision in Khartoum to liberalize the prices of the drug two years ago, except for certain drugs, and is exacerbated by the rise in prices of the dollar (which reached 47.5 pounds and 52 at the parallel price) He is the savior of life.

Racks free
Around 20 pharmacies across Khartoum have been found to be missing. Some 17 drugs, including life-saving drugs, heart and neonatal patients and recovery rooms, have been missing.

"Over the past five months, I have been freeing bills to buy medicines worth 250,000 pounds ($ 5293) and I do not get more than 20,000 pounds ($ 423)," Ahmed told Al Jazeera Net. Adding that the stock has a 30% decline.

As for pharmacist Youssef, he stressed that the drug crisis made them face up with the citizen. He added in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that the crisis has hindered groups that are considered weak in dealing with the appropriate treatment. He said of the recipes that we receive 40% of them can not buy the medicine for high prices.

Initiatives for Resolution
The government and drug-importing companies have accused each other of causing the crisis, with government assurances that all medicines are available at the pharmacies of the medical supply agency (a government agency) and at prices 45 percent lower than the market.

The General Federation of Pharmacists blamed the government in Khartoum for the crisis, attributed the reasons for the collapse of the local currency against foreign currencies, and warned of the aggravation of the crisis with the depletion of stocks of medicines in companies and pharmacies with the difficulty of imports at the declared price of the dollar.

"The importing companies will not reduce the price of the drug and be subject to loss. It can not import it at a price of 47.5 pounds per dollar and sells according to the old exchange rate (30 pounds per dollar)," the head of the Pharmacists Union Salah Ibrahim told the government. And toxins (a government apparatus). "

Ibrahim revealed the solutions offered by the importers to the government is awaiting action and related to the consent of the importers to waive part of their profits in exchange for the state to bear the other part, so the burden falls on the citizen.

Recognition of Minister
Although the Federal Health Minister Mohammed Abu Zeid denied in previous statements that there was a shortage of medicines, Khartoum Health Minister Mamoun Hamida admitted there was a shortage of some medicines, including drugs that he said were essential.

"There are important medicines at the level of pharmacies and hospitals that have completely disappeared, including hydrocortons and hemodialysis, and dental anesthetics have long since disappeared, which means that the profession is completely stopped," Hamida said at a forum in Khartoum.

Chest surgeon Dr. Hatem Elias confirmed that changing treatment doses from one class to another would pose a risk to the patient's health. He told a forum in Khartoum to discuss the crisis that "many patients return to him due to lack of treatment, Alternative ".