The currency crisis is worsening in Turkey. And one of the side effects of economic hardship is the growing drug shortage. Treatments against diabetes, cancer or a simple cold, a whole range of remedies has become very difficult to obtain in pharmacies across the country.
More ” 700 drugs Are now unavailable in Turkey and the list is growing day by day, deplores Vedat Bulut, the country’s general secretary of doctors. The medical sector is one of the most seriously affected by the crisis due to its dependence on imports.
Turkish lira lost more than half of its value since the beginning of the year against the dollar. External purchases are therefore more expensive. But according to the Union of Physicians, the Ministry of Health would continue to pay providers with a course far from its new reality. So some ” withdrew from the market because they were starting to lose money “.
The authorities deny the existence of the crisis
Pharmacists are calling on the government to reassess drug prices at least three times a year. But raising the prices of imported drugs will not necessarily be enough. With the surge in raw materials linked to Covid-19 pandemic, treatments produced in Turkey are also affected. Local producers therefore demand that late payments take into account the current exchange rate.
For their part, the Turkish authorities deny the existence of the crisis. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca accuses pharmaceutical companies of selling ” Dear ” their products.