Chronic life-saving medicines in short supply in Sudan

The former head of the Private Pharmacies Association, Dr Nasri Morgos, has reported a scarcity of medicines in Sudan. The ongoing shortage of foreign currency in the country means that especially life-saving chronic medicines and permanent eye drops are running short.

For the few medicines still available, Dr Morgos predicted further prices rises of about 400 per cent and predicted “a disaster” in the near future.

“The situation will be catastrophic,” he said. “The current prices of medicines are expensive anyhow”, he said, and reported that Sudan is currently experiencing a 200 per cent increase which he predicts will rise still further to 400 per cent, “which would be considered a major disaster”.

attributed the lack of medicines to pharmacies halting importation and sales due the rise in price of the Dollar.

Dr Morgos told Radio Dabanga that patients with heart disease, kidney failure, and asthma have complained that they do not receive medication and that they are forced to depend on their relatives abroad to provide medicines.

Pharmacists stop imports

As reported previously by Radio Dabanga, over the past few months, as the value of the Sudanese Pound has dropped steadily against the US Dollar, pharmaceutical companies have reportedly imported less to no medicines which has led to a scarcity of a number of medicines.

The Central Bank of Sudan and Market Makers Committee have identified the price of the import of medicines to stand at SDG 47.5 per Dollar for medicine importers.

Meanwhile the Sudanese board of medicines and toxins has instructed pharmaceutical companies to sell all medicines in the stores at the minimum price.

In August 2018, people in Sudan complained about the lack and high prices of lifesaving medicines to tread chronic conditions such as blood pressure and diabetes, as well as medicines related to epilepsy and other neurological and psychological conditions.