The Pharmaceutical Society of Malawi (PHASOM) has asked the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM), through commercial banks, to priotise allocating forex to pharmaceutical firms so that drug importation is not affected.

In a statement, released today, Phasom has indicated that most health facilities both public and private are facing shortage of medicines and drugs due to scarcity of forex.

Reads the statement:

“Most public facilities are running out of essential medicines. The private sector has been equally affected as they are struggling to import medicines in the country due to scarcity of forex.

Medicine stockouts does have severe consequences on the community. Some of the consequences include treatment interruption or discontinuation, catastrophic expenditures, increased hospital admission and stay, treatment failure and the development of complications, drug resistance, and ultimately increased risk of illness, incapacitation, deformities and death”.

According to Phasom, most comercial banks are running short of US Dollars the most preffered currency for the importation of medicine leaving them with no choice but to use euro which is more expensive.

The body fears that the continuee shortage of forex will deteriorate the situation by either making essential medicine unavailable or exorbitant.

Phasom has therefore appealed to RBM to consider making available the US dollar to the society a priority through commercial banks.

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