Serious shortage of drugs experienced before price rise
Buse Özel- ISTANBUL
Pharmacies are experiencing a shortage of drugs as drug companies have started stockpiling to benefit from the increase in prices.
A shortage of drugs from December to February occurs every year due to numerous firms that stop supplying drugs in the market until the new prices are determined before the New Year.
“We have had problems with many drugs for a long time, but at the moment, we are insufficient even to provide the most basic medicines. There is a shortage of simple antibiotic syrups used for children, pain relievers, antipyretics and some of the cold medicines,” stated Şeker Pınar Özcan, the head of the Istanbul Chamber of Pharmacists.
Underlining that the problem has reached an unbearable point, Özcan stated that patients sometimes have to go to several pharmacies to find the drugs in their prescriptions.
“We experience this problem more during night shifts as the most common reason to be taken to an emergency center is upper respiratory tract infections,” Özcan said.
Elaborating on the underlying reasons for this severe shortage, Özcan pointed out that companies do not find the current prices sufficient and do not provide drugs to the market.
“We experience the same problem every year in these months to Feb. 10. Both pharmacies and patients suffer from the shortage,” Özcan added.
