Government lost 600 million ZDZ annually on unused drugs
Photo: archive
Head of the Algerian Association of Pharmacies, Farid Ben Hamdine, called upon government, in a statement to Echorouk, to solve the problem of the distribution of medicines in hospitals across many areas of the country.
“All the necessary medicines are available, but it remained preserved on some medical authorities without others. With regards to the reduction of the imported medicines’ bill which reached, during the first ten months of 2014, two billion DZD, the problem relies in the distribution. 60% of the new drugs in the world entered Algeria, especially those related to cancer, as a budget is allocated in hospitals for drugs of this disease by 40% of the overall budget.”
“State’s policy to regulate and evaluate the functioning and distribution of drugs, can only be realized through a national agency for drugs, and the training of counselors and administrators that are specialized in the follow-up of necessary and new drugs, and the extent of their access to all hospitals, that are in need, fairly and across all national points.”
“Algeria is facing today the problem of high prices of some modern drugs that are manufactured by the developed countries, including some drugs that are pulled from pharmacies in countries that exported drugs to Algeria after unhealthy complications for patients. Government is losing a financial envelope, and needs it today, especially after the decline in the price of oil, as 30% of the import bill of drugs is untapped, which is equivalent to 600 million centimes and is indispensable through serious and effective follow-up, and by activating the work of laboratory for medicine control, and private reports in hospitals and a list of drugs that are in need of these reports.”