ABU DHABI // Medical experts have expressed concern about the short supplies of vital medicines in pharmacies.
They say stocks of various kinds of drugs regularly run out, and have called on authorities to improve the supply situation.
“The unavailability of medicine often becomes a serious issue for patients, who have to run from one pharmacy to another in search of medicines,” said A H, a consultant at an Abu Dhabi hospital.
“There are several hormonal, anti-thyroid and other crucial life-saving medicines, especially those for kidney failure, which are often not available in Abu Dhabi, leading to a major challenge for both patients and doctors.”
He said there was a continual problem with a lack of medications for thyroid disorders.
“We had a few patients who really suffered by not receiving treatment at the appropriate time,” the doctor said.
The out-of-stock situation mostly occurred with controlled medicines, he said, because the suppliers did not find them profitable enough.
“The problem with controlled drugs is the comparatively long legal procedures, less money, less utilisation, as compared to other medicines. So having a level of stock does not seem to be lucrative enough for the suppliers.”
He suggested that controlled drugs should be available all the time, especially in selected government and leading private hospitals.
Sameer Raza, a manager of a pharmaceutical supply company, said the delays in getting clearance for controlled medicines was partly to blame.
“Because almost all medicines here are imported, the supply may get delayed for unforeseen reasons,” he said.
“Similarly, there have been cases where medicines are waiting clearances before they reach the counter.”
Once an order has been placed, it takes up to four to five days to receive the consignment.
Most medicine arrives by air freight and then takes a minimum of three days to be cleared by customs.
Mr Raza said it was usually anti-fungal, hormonal agents and dermatological medicines that were out of stock because they sold out so quickly.
But he said sometimes there were alternative products available that do the same job,
“If your doctor is saying only this medicine is required and cannot be replaced then he or she is doing an unethical job and just wants to promote that brand,” he said.
“Generic medicines are as good as branded medicines, because they have the same chemical ingredients.”
The Ministry of Health urged patients to contact the authority if they have problems finding any medicine.
Dr Amin Al Amiri, assistant undersecretary for health policy and licences, said: “There are more than 8,500 registered medicines in the country and if any of them is not available in the country, the ministry will take immediate appropriate action.”
Dr Al Amiri said the availability of the medicine was also dependant upon the location of the pharmacy.
“If we find and verify that any medicine is not available, we immediately call the local (pharmaceutical) agent for explanation. We ask him to provide the medicine within 48 hours,” he said.
“If the local agent and his company fails to comply with the instructions, then we take appropriate action against them.”
He warned that the public should not try to compensate for lack of medicines by ordering them online.
“People should be aware that most of the medicines available online are fakes and pose a serious threat to one’s health,” he said.
The Ministry of Health can be contacted on www.moh.gov.ae or by calling 800 11 111.
akhaishgi@thenational.ae
