Patients took to clinics and pharmacies to buy these medicines to treat symptoms like cough, and boost immunity but the demand exceeded the available supply
Even as the country struggles with a surge in Covid-19 infections, it is emerging patients are faced with limited access to medicine that treats the symptoms of the virus.
While Rwanda Medical Supply, the agency responsible for drug procurement, maintains it has sufficient stock, it blames the current shortage on internal problems linked to a severe third wave which made it difficult to access key producers like India.
Local pharmacists who spoke to Rwanda Today say the situation is getting worse as supplies are depleted in clinics and pharmacies.
As the third wave began to drive up infection numbers especially in Kigali around May, Covid-19 patients took to clinics and pharmacies to buy these medicines to treat symptoms like cough, and boost immunity but the demand exceeded the available supply.
Some of the missing drugs are Ascoril, Vifex, Broncoline and mucolex-which are syrups for cough, febrilex, fevarol fervex and dacold for colds and flu. The others are, Nat C 1000mg, immu C, supra vit vitamin C+Zinc, immuneed and upsa C1000mg for boosting the immune system.
“I went to all the big pharmacies at Kisementi looking for the prescribed drugs but most of them didn’t have the drugs,” said Deogratias Kayitare, who tested positive for Covid-19.
Kayitare says that after failing to get the prescribed medicine, he resorted to using local concoctions made up of ginger and lemon, which he drinks hot. Soter Sindikubwabo, a pharmacist working at Karo pharmacy at Kisimenti confi rmed that pharmacies are currently experiencing a shortage of drugs.
“The demand for the drugs has shot up, and it is not matching the supply which has been very low due to a breakdown in the country’s drug supply chain, orders are taking more than three months and that’s if you are lucky to get the drugs.”
“The factories that used to supply the Rwandan market are currently having difficulties in getting the raw materials they use in drug making, a number of factors are responsible for the current scarcity,” he said.
Sindikubwabo also said due to the high demand, even the few drugs available on the market have increased in price, making it expensive for many Covid-19 patients.
Also, he added, some people come looking for particular branded drugs depending on recommendations given to them by other people, without accepting any other alternatives that the pharmacy could be having that treats the same symptom.
Pie Harerimana, the CEO of Rwanda Medical Supplies (RMS), told Rwanda Today that when key manufacturers like India are affected, the entire global drug supply chain goes into trouble.
“There are mainly three challenges now: pricesdrugs have become very expensive. Secondly, these producers are shifting to Covid-19 related itemswhich are not drugs, like oxygen. Shipment has also become a challenge because everyone is shipping, from masks, oxygen, drugs, etc. This has affected the flow of drugs.”
He said as demand grows, the drug producers are also prioritising larger markets and ignoring smaller African markets.
Travel restrictions
Rwanda drug importers suffered major setbacks in their trade when India was hit by a Covid-19 resurgence, which affected travel and transportation channels.
As the pandemic swept across the country, killing many people on a daily basis, drug producing factories from the populous country suspended production, while others prioritised production for the country’s ailing population.
Uwumurenzi Erwin, a medicines and drugs wholesaler in Kigali, said some of his wholesalers in India are not responding to his requests despite having many orders from his customers.
“Delays in shipment, extension of drug manufacturing timeliness, and the blocking of some drugs from being exported out of the country by Indian authorities, has affected the drug supply chains in Rwanda” he said.
As of July 5, the country had 15,080 active cases, 62 people in critical condition and a positivity rate of 17 percent. 479 people had succumbed to the virus.
On average the country has been recording at least 700 cases over the last two weeks.