Patients who require insulin to manage their diabetes or blood sugar levels are experiencing a similar problem as those who depend on Panadol to manage their fever.
Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects how the body converts food into energy, and type 1 and occasionally type 2 diabetics need insulin to maintain their blood sugar levels and prevent further complications. As a result, the scarcity of medications in pharmacies has alarmed millions of people across the country.
The president of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Dr. Azhar Chaudhary, contends that the government is to blame for the widespread lack of insulin and that the substance is essential to diabetics just like oxygen.
He claimed that the crisis could have been avoided if the government had allowed pharmaceutical companies to open letters of credit (LCs) on time.
The lack of raw materials, he continued, resulted in lower production of medicines. So as to increase their ability to demand higher prices, pharmacists have accumulated the remaining stock.
Muhammad Nabi, a pharmacist in the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), backed up Khan’s assertions, claiming that some pharmacies were hoarding the medication and charging exorbitant prices for it. Nabi continued by stating that it was obvious the provincial drug regulatory agencies didn’t intend to bring charges against such sellers.
