In January the shortage of medicines was 31.7%. Caracas and San Fernando de Apure also topped the list of cities with the highest shortages
The NGO Convite registered a general shortage of medicines of 27.9% during the month of March. The new figure represents a decrease of one percentage point compared to February, when the index stood at 28.9%. However, a similar situation is still maintained: in every three of 10 pharmacies visited, there were no specific medications that are used to treat six “high incidence” morbidities.
Some of these morbidities are seizures, acute respiratory infections and depression, which registered a shortage rate of 35.7%, 33.7% and 31.5%, respectively, according to a report by the organization, which carries out monthly monitoring of the availability and access to these drugs in the Capital District and in 18 of the 23 states of the country.
The bulletin noted that the essential drugs that make up the study sample continue to increase their availability on the shelves of the main pharmacies nationwide. Even so, there is an absence of them in regions such as San Fernando de Apure and Caracas, which are the places where there is less availability (55.5% and 48.5%, each).
«Medications reappear, the supply increases substantially, but not hand in hand with affordability»indicated the NGO.
In January the shortage of medicines was 31.7%. Caracas and San Fernando de Apure also topped the list of cities with the highest shortages. But these levels of shortages, compared to the one registered since 2013, reached more than 80%, which gave way to a parallel market of products with high prices, unaffordable for the majority of the population.
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