The shortage of medicines in pharmacies is one of the major concerns faced by the population of Las Tunas. Because of the lack of raw materials for their production and the instability of the coverage of card-controlled drugs measures are being taken in the territory to contribute to the health conditions of the chronically ill.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- María del Carmen Ochoa Rodríguez, director of Pharmacy and Optics Company in Las Tunas, assures that, above all, the units have strategies to achieve an equitable distribution and priority is given to bedridden patients, psychiatric patients, children, and other people in a state of vulnerability.
In the province, we have 108 community pharmacies, 30 of them in the main municipality," she said. We have 286 medicines in the basic list, 86 of which are control card medicines and 20 of which are completely imported, although it is worth mentioning that all the raw materials used in the manufacture of drugs come from abroad, hence the complexity of acquiring them.
"At the moment we have 28 items affected that are not being produced and 23 in low coverage. Something happens, drugs such as antihypertensive when they come in do not come in the necessary quantities and are not enough for all the patients dispensed."
"We adopted the measure of selling them equitably, that is, not in the doses that the consumer carries, but in the amount that we can provide. It is a very big challenge that summons us and we know that the patient requires his treatment, hence we have control of each unit to prevent illegalities from being committed around it."
Raiza Pérez Bacallao, technical commercial director of the entity, explained to the press that in the current times of shortage, the province strengthens the production of traditional natural medicine as a balm to supply the tablets.
"We are receiving up to 18 percent of medicines that is quantities far below the real demand. Hence the importance of keeping the main lines of production of honey bees drugs and phytopharmaceuticals covered, in the absence of several conventional medicines."
"Concerning their control, we are planning a digitalization to purify the medical certificates and know who needs the drugs, and eliminate those who are outside Cuba or have died and whose control cards continue to appear in our units."
"In this process, we have even noticed several medical certificates issued to the same person, which is a violation. We have advanced in this digitalization. Currently "Amancio" is immersed in this purification, Majibacoa also, and in Las Tunas we are working with the seriousness that characterizes our entity."
In the territory, at the same time, the measures to avoid violations inside the units by the personnel remain in force; among them, the presence of neighbors from the community is guaranteed during the checking of the goods received.
