Sudan: pharmacists warn of medicine shortage 

Pharmacists in Sudan warned on Tuesday of an increase in deaths due to the severe shortage of medicines, Anadolu has reported. The Pharmacists’ Union accused the transitional government of negligence in handling the crisis.

A statement from the union was published on the official Facebook page of the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), part of the leadership of the popular movement in the country. “The medicine crisis is unprecedented,” it said. “Sudanese citizens are dying due to severe shortages of medicines.”

The union pointed out that “hundreds” of pharmacists are losing their jobs and expressed surprise at the lack of political will to do anything about it. “The transitional government’s approach to secure medicines is based on negligence that is leading to a loss of life.” It added that it has no option but to escalate the issue and call for peaceful action to solve the drug crisis.

In July, the Pharmacists’ Union asked the authorities for $55 million per month to import medicines for the local market. The request followed a protest a month earlier by dozens of Sudanese doctors and pharmacists who condemned the lack of medicine during the coronavirus pandemic. Sudan suffers from a severe deficit in its foreign reserves, which has created supply crises for essential goods, including medicines.

There was no immediate comment from the government on the allegations made by the Pharmacists’ Union.

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