Cuban Irresponsibility Causes Shortage of Medications in Venezuela

Cuban Irresponsibility Causes Shortage of Medications in Venezuela /
Juan Juan Almeida
Posted on February 8, 2015

The medication crisis that was anticipated in Venezuela is a storm that
scared people even before it began. Not only because the inventories of
the Ministry of Peoples' Power for the Health of Venezuela, a
governmental organization of national jurisdiction, are practically
exhausted, but also because some of the medications handled by the Cuban
medical mission came into the country without the consistent rigor of
matching them to a corresponding medical registry.

It's repugnant to read how a country's problems are met with messianic
discourse and disgusting to hear how some of the upper-echelon
Venezuelan health officials justify the bad management, assuring people
that the scarcity of medications is due to laboratory workers taking
vacations, and the chains of distribution being altered because of an
"economic war," and that as a result of "enemy" propaganda there was
alarm, which caused people to buy in 15 days what they usually buy over
2 months.

The Cuban and Venezuelan governments some time ago crossed the line of
respect for human dignity, and for that reason, although I'm not giving
the written numbers, I'm copying part of the report issued by the
Analysis Group for Medications of the Cuban Medical Mission in
Venezuela, received via email in the Ministry of Public Health in Cuba.

In this dossier there is evidence of unquestionable irresponsibility
that crosses the criminal line, and a deficit of medications that the
Biofarmacuba company hasn't procured and won't procure for delivery on
the agreed-on dates in order to fulfill the recent yearly plan.

According to the report, there's a mountain of medications lacking for
the 2015 plan that Biocubafarma won't be able to provide. I list some of
them here:

1. Ampicillin 125 mg/5 ml p/susp x 60 ml: Out of stock in the warehouses.

2. Local anesthesia (cartridge of 1.8 cc: Out of stock. Pending (Dentistry).

3. Atropine 0.5 mg amp x 1 ml: Not in solution, controlled, without
medical registration in Venezuela. (CDI, Surgery).

4. Atenolol 0.5 mg amp: In facilities. Pending arrival in Cuba of
discontinued imported product.

5. Carbamazepine 200 mg x 90 tab: Not in solution because it is a
controlled product. Imported. Not on medical registry in Venezuela
(Peoples' Medical Consult).

6. Cefalexina 500 mg x 10 cap: Pending production.

7. Ciprofloxacin 200 mg/100 ml BBO: Pending export (General Use).

8. Clorhidrato de tramadol 100 mg amp: Pending import permit.

9. Chlorpromazine 25 mg amp x 1 ml: Not in solution. Controlled product.
Imported without medical registration in Venezuela.

10. Diclofenac sodium: 1 mg/ml col x 5 ml (Voltaren): Not in solution.
Inventory expired (Eye Clinics).

11. Digoxina 0.25 mg x 20 tab: Out of stock. Pending removal from port.

12. Elitrol 1 x 5 ml fco: Out of stock. Pending arrival in Cuba of
imported discontinued product.

13. Ergometrine 0.2 mg x 1 mil: Not in solution. Controlled and imported
without medical registration in Venezuela.

14. Glibenclamide 5 mg x 10 tab: Out of stock in warehouses.

15. Hydralazine 20 mg amp x 1 mil: Out of stock in warehouses.

16. Hydrocortisone 100 mg bbo: Out of stock in warehouses.

17. Actrapid Insulin 100 u bbo x 10 ml. Out of stock.

18. Human Insulin 100 NPH bbo x 10 ml: Out of stock.

19. Isoprenaline 0.2 mg amp: Out of stock. Pending removal from port
(High Technology Centers-CAT).

20. Meropenem 1G BBO: Unavailable for 22 weeks (Therapy and
hospitalization).

21. Salicure-Test 50 det x 100 ml. (Clinical reagent).

22. Ureterovesical probe No. 18 x 20: Out of stock.

23. Coombs serum: Out of stock.

24. P Tubes/Pentra Complete Hematology packet x 400: Distributed one
part of what was received because of their expiration dates.

25. Thiamine 100 mg bbo: Not yet in solution due to technological
problems (CDI).

26. Timolol Missing for 20 weeks. Reported by 12 states. Affected by
material in the container.

27. Thiopental 500 mg bbo: Missing for 6 weeks. Affected by raw material.

28. Vitamin A and D2 drops x 15 mil: Not in solution, inventory expired
(Peoples' Medical Consult).

29. Vitamin C drops fco x 15 ml: Not in solution, inventory expired
(Peoples' Medical Consult).

This is enough without boring you to show that – as my grandmother, who
didn't have good sight but knew how to see – would say: It's much easier
to catch a liar than a cripple.

Translated by Regina Anavy

2 February 2015

Source: Cuban Irresponsibility Causes Shortage of Medications in
Venezuela / Juan Juan Almeida | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/cuban-irresponsibility-juan-juan-almeida/