In various pharmacies, Bujumbura inhabitants find it hard to get some medicines specially those made in European laboratories. Pharmacists explain that this shortage of medicines is linked to the lack of foreign currency in the country.
‘Augmentin’ one of the medicines that are no longer imported to Burundi
“My child was suffering from a severe infection and the doctor prescribed an antibiotic called ‘Augmentin’. I searched everywhere in Bujumbura drugstores but could not find it. I was forced to consult once again the doctor to prescribe its equivalent medicine, “says M.K a young mother from the north of the capital Bujumbura.
“It is currently difficult to find some drugs. The doctor has prescribed the medications since last week, but so far, I have not been able to find them. I visit the 16th pharmacy, “says an acute asthma sufferer.
Doctor Janvier says the shortage of some drugs observed in drugstores can cost human lives. “We notice that some medicines imported from Europe are no longer available in Bujumbura pharmacies. Some may be substituted by their equivalent generic drugs but there are others that are irreplaceable. So, this poses a danger for patients who have to take them, “says Dr. Janvier.
He says some patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and asthma prefer to go and buy these drugs outside the country, which is much more expensive.
Pharmacists claim the lack of drugs. They explain that the lack of foreign currency in the country prevents them from timely importing the sufficient quantity of drugs. “There are some drugs that we no longer import because they are very expensive,” says a pharmacist.
Life threatening diseases are a priority
The General Director of Pharmacies, Laboratory and Medicine, Emmanuel Bamenyekanye says that GlaxoSmithKline-GSK, England healthcare company that used to sell its products to Burundi informed the Ministry of Health that it no longer sells some medicines such as ‘Clamoxile’, and ‘Augmentin’ antibiotics and ‘Vantoline’ used to treat breathing problems for patients who have asthma because ‘ the import license granted to it has expired. “This cannot cause us problems because those medicines can be replaced by their generic equivalents,” says Bamenyekanye.
He tells that the pharmaceutical sector has also been affected by the lack of foreign exchange that the country has been experiencing since the last few months. To manage the isufficient foreign currency that Burundi has, the Ministry provides them according to the importance of these drugs. “In order to give foreign currency to medicine importers, the Ministry of Health first analyzes the orders made by importers and we prioritize drugs that treat life threatening disease, including malaria drugs, diseases that affect children and pregnant women …” says Bamenyekanye.
He asks the population to consult doctors before buying medicines because they know that a drug can be validly substituted by another one.
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