Dr Abdel Moneim Estoppel, the Director General of the Supreme Commission for drugs and medical supplies has announced today that Yemen could be heading towards a serious pharmaceutical crisis.

 

Estoppel confirmed that the country had about 2 months left worth of medicine before running out. Since suppliers are refusing to restock due to the increasing security problems and the highest running cost, the lives of many chronically ill patients could be put in jeopardy.

Most problems are essentially linked to the storage of medicine. For example insulin has to be kept cold at all times or it loses it medicinal properties. Since Yemen has been living with little to no electricity at all for the past few months, chemist and wholesalers have had to rely on gasoline or diesel power generator, pushing the cost of running their business forever higher.
Although humanitarian agencies have on several occasions promised to lighten the hold by providing Yemen with more medical supplies, nothing concrete has been done so far.

One can only imagine the serious repercussions a pharmaceutical penury could have on an already strained and malnourished population.