Reporting by Ahmed al-Khalil; Translation by Yusra Ahmed
(Eqtsad)- Pharmacology is not in better situation than Medicine in Syria amid the war conditions. Rarely a specialist pharmacist manages his or her own pharmacy, as most of them are abroad and renting their certificates to who pay more to manage them regardless of their educational background, even some who do not have even secondary school certificate can manage a pharmacy and prescribe medication to people and change drugs into others without any medical experience.
The latest legislative decree in regard to pharmacology allowed rise on medications’ prices by 57% followed by stability in prices, then it started to elevate two months ago.
Most locally manufactured medications elevated between 30% and 70%, like medications for heart disease and hypertension diseases, analgesics, anti allergy, thyroid drugs, blood diluting drugs, cholesterol lowering drugs and others.
The same happened to imported medications, as their already high prices have increased by 40%.
A university student who manages a pharmacy reported to Eqtsad that most drugs stores have stopped distributed medicine waiting for new raise in prices.
In regard to insurance, it covers only few pharmacies as there are only one or two pharmacies in each area have contracts with insurance. All the reduction is only 10% for all medication and 20% for chronic diseases medications.
It is expected to replace the insurance cards and health books by the comprehensive health insurance in the beginning of July, however the insured employee only has reduction up to 30% or in best conditions 50%.
Pharmacies in the beginning reduces 10% of the prescription’s price, then the pharmacist increase the price of each drug to increase the total price of the prescription before reduction to the maximum allowed limit of SYP 300, but the employee only receives medication worth SYP 1400. The employee has no power to complain or demand changing the process because of corruption.
Pharmacist certificates are now being rented to who pay the cost of SYP 30 thousand and open a pharmacy run by a young man or woman at a salary ranges between SYP 8 thousand and SYP30 thousand according to the area, this kind of trade is very profitable to all parties.
Amid the corruption and lack of observation and monitoring, anyone has money and power can enter the field of medicine and Pharmacology, the two sensitive jobs. There is a student studied in the vocational secondary but he managed to apply for scientific secondary exam and he passed it by cheating, then he enrolled in a private university and kept passing years of study, he is now in year three of Pharmacology, but knows nothing about it, and it is expected to graduate from university and have a certificate of pharmacology and decide about people’s lives.
(Eqtsad)- Pharmacology is not in better situation than Medicine in Syria amid the war conditions. Rarely a specialist pharmacist manages his or her own pharmacy, as most of them are abroad and renting their certificates to who pay more to manage them regardless of their educational background, even some who do not have even secondary school certificate can manage a pharmacy and prescribe medication to people and change drugs into others without any medical experience.
The latest legislative decree in regard to pharmacology allowed rise on medications’ prices by 57% followed by stability in prices, then it started to elevate two months ago.
Most locally manufactured medications elevated between 30% and 70%, like medications for heart disease and hypertension diseases, analgesics, anti allergy, thyroid drugs, blood diluting drugs, cholesterol lowering drugs and others.
The same happened to imported medications, as their already high prices have increased by 40%.
A university student who manages a pharmacy reported to Eqtsad that most drugs stores have stopped distributed medicine waiting for new raise in prices.
In regard to insurance, it covers only few pharmacies as there are only one or two pharmacies in each area have contracts with insurance. All the reduction is only 10% for all medication and 20% for chronic diseases medications.
It is expected to replace the insurance cards and health books by the comprehensive health insurance in the beginning of July, however the insured employee only has reduction up to 30% or in best conditions 50%.
Pharmacies in the beginning reduces 10% of the prescription’s price, then the pharmacist increase the price of each drug to increase the total price of the prescription before reduction to the maximum allowed limit of SYP 300, but the employee only receives medication worth SYP 1400. The employee has no power to complain or demand changing the process because of corruption.
Pharmacist certificates are now being rented to who pay the cost of SYP 30 thousand and open a pharmacy run by a young man or woman at a salary ranges between SYP 8 thousand and SYP30 thousand according to the area, this kind of trade is very profitable to all parties.
Amid the corruption and lack of observation and monitoring, anyone has money and power can enter the field of medicine and Pharmacology, the two sensitive jobs. There is a student studied in the vocational secondary but he managed to apply for scientific secondary exam and he passed it by cheating, then he enrolled in a private university and kept passing years of study, he is now in year three of Pharmacology, but knows nothing about it, and it is expected to graduate from university and have a certificate of pharmacology and decide about people’s lives.
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