‘The way things stand, we will be unable to find syringes in Turkey,’ warn pharmacists

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As the tariffs stipulated by the Health Ministry's Communiqué on Healthcare Practices (SUT) have not yet been updated and with the Turkish Lira crashing to new lows against foreign currencies, all these factors have aggravated the crisis in procurement of medicine further.

Ali Fuat Gül, the Secretary General of Ankara Chamber of Pharmacists, says that at least 750 drugs cannot be found in the market now, warning that "the way things stand, pharmacists won't be able to find syringes."

CLICK - Turkish Pharmacists' Association: We cannot supply medicine

As reported by Kübra Kırımlı from daily Evrensel, oncologist Dr. Halis Yerlikaya, also a member of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) Central Council, emphasizes that the healthcare system has collapsed: "It is unacceptable that the authorities play ostrich as if nothing happened."

Gül from the Ankara Chamber of Pharmacists also recalls that the problems with procuring medicine began in September. Noting that the exchange rate of Euro has topped 15 Turkish Lira (TRY), Gül reminds the public that "the exchange rate set by the Health Ministry in pricing medicine has remained fixed at 4.5 TRY, which has caused a crisis in medication."

"The way things stand, we will be unable to find injection syringes," reiterates the Secretary General, recounting that after they said, "We feel ashamed of telling patients we don't have the drugs", the Health Ministry wrote to them and asked which medication is missing. Gül says, "We have a current list; we have asked our members as well. We will tell the Health Ministry about the medication we don't have earlier in the week."

'Price of cancer medication will increase'

According to Gül, on the top of the list of medications not found in the market now stands cancer medication and some other drugs. Gül stresses that most of them do not have generic (equivalent) drugs.

"The medications used at the final stage of cancer treatment and called 'smart' cannot be found now," Gül notes, reiterating that "these drugs unfortunately do not have generic drugs. They are imported."

Saying that several factories will now also halt production due to the new year, Gül indicates that the Health Ministry of Turkey increases the prices of medications in the third week of every February and increases the prices of some medication on every December 21:

The price updates have been delivered to us. The number of drugs whose prices will increase is not too high. But the prices of the drugs not found in the market and used in cancer treatment are likely to increase.

(EMK/SD)