The need to take immediate action in connection with the acute shortage of medicines in the country was emphasized by the President of SYRIZA PS, Alexis Tsiprasat a meeting he had with his president Pharmaceutical Association of Atticaemphasizing that “this very serious problem must be solved immediately, with the control of the market and pharmaceutical warehouses and the prohibition of parallel exports, in order to ensure the sufficiency and possibility of access to medicines for all citizens.”

Mr. Tsipras sounded the alarm about the shortage of medicines, saying that “we are concerned because we are again facing a repeat of the health crisis with the outbreak of viruses and coronavirus”, at the same time he pointed out that “especially with the opening of schools, also a heavy workload of public hospitals, while the National Health Service cannot respond.”

He described “vital“the need to ensure citizens’ access to medicines, emphasizing that “access to medicines cannot be the same as access to any other commercial product, this is a vital necessity.”

“And therefore it cannot be in the logic of the operation of markets in which no one can interfere,” he stressed.

In this context, he accused the government of “once again allowing the problem to turn into a crisis, either through managerial incompetence or bigotry”, highlighting the government’s “justifications” for the international drug shortage.

“We are again seeing familiar excuses that everyone else is to blame, except for those who are responsible for establishing control over the market. It is the fault of the doctors who prescribe too much, it is the fault of the parents who stock up medicines for their children, it is the fault of China and India that restrict raw materials, but it is not our fault,” he said, referring to the complete lack of control over the market and pharmacies.

At the same time, he accused the government of showing “tolerance towards pharmaceutical warehouses that carry out parallel exports of drugs to the European market for profit, because Greece has achieved a low price.” An indication of the government’s responsibility for drug shortages is the lifting of the ban on parallel drug exports, which, according to the President of SYRIZA PS, was carried out by the EOF a year ago.

Finally, he pointed out that in addition to simple medicines, there is also a shortage of “certain categories of essential medicines for citizens with chronic health problems who, if they are not found, will face a very serious problem even for their own.” life.”

Lurantos: I’ve been a pharmacist for 44 years and have never come across something like this

For his part, the president of the Pharmaceutical Association of Attica, Konstantinos Lourantos, spoke out harshly about the situation. “I have been in the profession for 44 years and have never experienced anything like this,” he said.

He stressed that pharmacists have been warning about a shortage of drugs for more than a year, but their warnings have not been heeded by the leadership of the Ministry of Health.

“From January 2022, we started discussing the deficit. On January 7, 2022, we issued a press release and stated that the situation presents risks, ”he said characteristically and added:“ On October 24, we stated in a document that 400 medicines, and life-saving ones, are missing from the Greek market. . We issued too many press releases, sent documents, but no one listens to us. If this issue had not been raised by the media and the opposition, today it would not bother anyone.”

MONKEY BEE