Cairo- When the pharmacist apologized to me for not having the drug I requested, I did not think that the search for a drug would extend from Cairo’s pharmacies outside the country’s borders, or that it would become part of a testimony as part of monitoring a crisis that the country has been witnessing for several months.
Based on previous experiences, I did not feel anxious that day despite my failure to find the medicine in eight pharmacies. The crisis of the disappearance of types of medicine usually resolves on its own when it is put on the market after a short period or made available by a remote pharmacy visited by few customers.
But things are different this time. The medication has completely disappeared and the crisis is getting worse. My mother, who suffers from diabetes – which caused her kidney failure years ago – needs daily doses of insulin.
Although the person in Gaza was suffering from the story of medicines and their shortages… However, in Egypt there is more suffering, especially with immune medicines. I spend a whole week going around here and there to find medicine for my mother, and if I find it, I pay double the price.. In fact, I will sell you to someone who knows you in need, and he will take advantage of you, and unfortunately he will go to hell for the extra money, and that is enough for me. God is the best disposer of affairs
– Abdelrahaman Alshibi (@drshebo) September 26, 2024
Ongoing crisis
By following official statements through local media and citizens’ calls for help through social media platforms, I realized that the drug crisis was not like its predecessors, especially related to chronic diseases, and that I was in a struggle against time.
In the wake of the crisis that has been going on for nearly 7 months, the Pharmaceuticals Division of the General Federation of Chambers of Commerce estimated the size of the shortage in pharmaceutical brands at 1,000 pharmaceutical types out of 17,000 available in Egypt’s markets. While the number has decreased to 110 items in recent days, according to statements by official officials, the succession of calls for help through social platforms indicates the continued worsening of the crisis.
Time becomes the measure of life for a patient who cannot find a dose of medicine. This is exactly what my mother faced when she was forced to take doses of insulin from an expired bottle, because she could not find an alternative.
The mother stopped doing this for 24 hours and then had to use a different type of insulin that was not suitable for her condition, which ultimately required her to be detained in the hospital as her health condition deteriorated, which led to a disruption in the scheduling of dialysis sessions estimated at 3 times a week.
Meanwhile, my sister, who lives in one of the Gulf countries, became our mother’s means of survival. She expedited the date of her annual visit to Egypt, bringing with her sufficient quantities of insulin to use over the course of extended months. Some of the packages went to neighbors and relatives who shared the disease and suffering.
Reasons
Government officials and pharmaceutical industry specialists give various reasons for the crisis of the disappearance of a large number of pharmaceutical items in the Egyptian market, and the instability of the currency exchange rate is one of the most important reasons put forward to justify the crisis, as producing companies face the problem of procuring hard currency to import the raw materials needed for manufacturing.
Last March, the exchange rate of the pound was liberalized, causing the price of the dollar to rise against the local currency from 31 pounds to exceed 48 pounds.
As a result, the Pharmaceuticals Division announced, last June, that the prices of a number of medicines would be increased by rates ranging from 10 to 40%, amid expectations of another increase in prices in the coming months.
In addition, other causes of the crisis are emerging related to regulatory procedures, as pharmaceutical items that do not conform to specifications are repeatedly executed, and the security authorities are also facing the smuggling of medicines outside the country, in addition to some merchants resorting to storing drugs to create a parallel market and thus increasing demand and selling them at a higher price.
The government also pointed the finger of blame at the doctor, so the Prime Minister demanded that doctors write the scientific name of the drug instead of the commercial name in order to overcome the crisis.
Many Egyptian expatriates abroad have become a haven to save the lives of their relatives inside the country.
University student Abdullah, who returned to Egypt 3 years ago to study engineering, leaving his family in one of the Gulf countries, was accustomed to having medicines among what he took with his family during short vacations.
He told Al Jazeera Net that the price of medicine in Egypt is cheap and available, and many types are dispensed from pharmacies without the need for a prescription, unlike the situation abroad.
But the situation was different during his last visit, and he did not have the usual medications in his possession, but rather a list of the names of drugs requested by his uncle and grandfather, who reside in Egypt.
He also responded to an appeal – via Facebook – for a patient who needed medication that was not available, and he brought with him the majority of the required medications when he returned at the beginning of the new school year.
flaw
Pharmacist Muhammad Gouda says that he communicates daily with suppliers to inquire about deficiencies in pharmaceutical items, explaining that the crisis has become less severe compared to the summer months.
He added to Al Jazeera Net that the treating doctor and the patient have become more flexible in dealing with the crisis, and he continued, “The doctor has begun writing more than one medication alternative in the treatment prescription, and the patient has begun to accept the alternative that I recommend to him without hesitation.”
Jouda regrets that he cannot provide assistance to a patient who needs medicine that is not available, stressing that he advises him to write an appeal on social media platforms or communicate with an expatriate abroad to provide treatment, “and sometimes I am the link between expatriate pharmacists and patients.”
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s statements regarding the profits from exporting Egyptian medicine aroused the ire of social media platforms. At a time when Egyptians import medicine from other countries via expatriates, companies export it and the government benefits from the profits.
Two weeks ago, Madbouly confirmed that the value of pharmaceutical exports had risen to about one billion dollars in the last fiscal year, indicating a plan aimed at increasing the amount to 1.5 billion dollars during the current year.
Earlier, the Egyptian Center for the Right to Medicine explained that there was an imbalance between the rates of exporting medicines to foreign markets, which witnessed very large growth, compared to a very large decline in pumping inside the country, holding the Egyptian Medicine Authority (affiliated with the Council of Ministers) responsible for this.
It is noteworthy that, in light of the suffering of millions of Egyptians due to the medication crisis, there is no official estimate or human rights indicators about the numbers of those affected by the crisis and the nature of the damage, whether health condition deteriorates or worse.
