Matanzas/A poster in capital letters that says “does not pass” to dry Ramón barely cross the door of the pharmacy of natural medicine in the corner of Milanés and May 2, in Matanzas. It is not that a glowing place will wait, but the accumulated dust on the crystals, the cardboard cards hanging from a dazzled table and the absent look of the clerk, absorbed on his phone, give more the feeling of abandonment than of health care.
“I am looking for ginger syrup to see if I control my digestive problems,” he says, in a low voice, as if asking something clandestine. The answer is as hard as its discomfort: “There is no.” Ramón is not surprised. “If the national sugar production is not enough for consumption, what can be expected for the preparation of natural medicines?”, Lies in the air, more resigned than annoying.
“If the national sugar production is not enough for consumption, what can be expected for the preparation of natural medicines?”
In the crystals where there should be jars of extracts, envelopes of infusions or plant creams, there are only posters written by hand, some twisted, others faded by the sun. The prices – even with cents – are a rarity in the middle of the hyperinflationed country: bitter broom to 6.67 pesos, romerillo to 12.67, Llantén at 3.00. But the papers that have not yet been removed from the mural are like ghosts: products that were, that are no longer or that may never arrive. The employee, without lifting her eyes, mutters that it cannot be produced due to lack of inputs. Neither bottles, nor sugar, nor alcohol. Nor technicians in the laboratory that remains closed, as if it were a poorly preserved museum piece.
/ 14ymedio
Miguel, another habitual client, arrived looking for chamomile syrup, the only survivor of his kind in the inventory. Thread of a dry cough and memories, he recalls: “They produced medicines right here. There was enough variety and had a good deal with people. Of all that there is no courtesy for people to feel, at least, attended.” Regular IMEFASMA Consumer – the classic natural extract based on ginger and honey – regrets that there is even where to pack it. “They have no jars, they have nothing,” he summarizes. “What is the use of prices are low if there is nothing to buy.”
The panorama of this little pharmacy reflects a major collapse. According to official data, more than 70% of the basic medication picture in the country had effects in 2024 and the situation has continued to aggravate. Of the 651 planned products, 461 are missing or have limited availability. The problem also extends to natural remedies, previously promoted by the authorities themselves as an “sovereign” alternative to the crisis of the pharmaceutical industry.
In provinces such as Camagüey, managers have publicly admitted that the production of onion syrups, oregano and honey has collapsed along with the national sugarcane harvest
In provinces such as Camagüey, managers have publicly admitted that the production of onion syrups, oregano and honey has collapsed along with the national sugarcane harvest. The annual plan of 370,000 imefasma bottles has barely been fulfilled at 26%. And in general, only 56% of the programmed natural medications have occurred. Health authorities, which at other times encouraged the planting of medicinal plants, now see how empty pharmacies are filled with dust and traditional formulas disappear from laboratories.
To all this is added the electrical problem. The Milanés Pharmacy and May 2, like so many others, cannot keep anything that needs refrigeration. The phrase “returns next month” has ceased to make sense when the months pass and the shelves are still empty. Some patients return to the mountain in search of leaves, others resign to homemade infusions. “We will have to look for herbs or die without remedy,” says a lady dating empty hands.
