Myanmar pharmacy body seeks prevention of medicine shortages

As the medicines and essential drugs prices become high in the market, arrangements are being made not to cause medicine shortages, according to the statement of the Myanmar Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Manufacturer Association released on 13 August.
It said the association has imported the required medical supplies and urged the pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers and retailers to sell the medicines as usual.
As the prices of medicines become high continuously, the wholesale centres in the Mingala Market shut down as they cannot run properly, according to the sellers.
With the changes in the exchange rate and import policy, medicine prices were on the rise starting in early August. The wholesale centres suspend sales and so the retailers face hardships, said Ko Min Min, a medicine dealer.
“The prices are drastically high and they suspend the sale temporarily. If we now sell the medicines we bought before the prices were high, we face losses. The more we sell, the more we lose. We don’t get the amount that we want,” he said.
The demand for pain killers and drugs for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and for kids is on the rise and some medicines are out of stock.
“The prices of medicine for diabetes and heart disease are higher about K1,000/1,500 than before per capsule card. We can’t predict how much the prices will go up. Some hospitals face shortages of medicine stocks,” said Daw Tin Win from North Okkalapa Township.
The association also urged the entrepreneurs to import the required medicines and medical supplies as quickly as possible as the officials negotiated the proper medicine import policies. — TWA/GNLM