It may be surprising that drug shortages are such a big problem in Tunisia nowadays.
There are seemingly endless supplies of medications available to the public with just a short trip to the pharmacy. But this is not the case for some medications, especially those used for more rare diseases.
Supply and demand play a key role in the shortages of certain medications.
Prescription pain medications and cancer medications find themselves in this category of shortages.
The central pharmacy of Tunisia, public hospitals and private clinics become a nightmare to a large number of patients and their families.
It is a shortage of a life-saving cancer therapy drug, namely gemzar 1g or gemcitabine, in addition the shortage of alternative medicines. This is a big problem for patients receiving less effective therapies.
This time we are not talking about a shortage of these vital medicines, but about complete absence of the concerned authorities.
Thousands of patients who feel bitterness and persistent chronic pain need more care and a real examination of this issue to find concrete solution soon.
There are many medications like some chemotherapy treatments have limited availability to the public, and thus, contribute to the medication shortage problem. It is the responsibility of the health authority to avoid such a shortage.
Stakeholders in health field must intervene urgently and positively to ensure the availability of these drugs and solve this scourge and any justification of the lasting shortage of such medicines is unacceptable because lives of people are more precious than anything else.
TunisianMonitorOnline (Chedly Berhouma)
