Tunisia is facing a severe shortage of several essential medicines, especially imported ones for treating thyroid disease, certain psychiatric conditions, and cancers, a crisis that peaked last week. In this context, Thouraya Nifer, Secretary-General of the National Council of the Order of Pharmacists, affirmed that the crisis stems from financial issues related to a liquidity shortage at the Central Pharmacy.
Nifer called for the implementation of Health Minister Mustapha Alferjani’s recommendations aimed at rationalizing drug consumption as part of the solution to the current crisis and to ensure treatment reaches all who need it.
Nifer noted that the signs of this crisis are not new, as the pharmaceutical system has faced ongoing challenges since 2014, which also affect the local industry that covers 70% of the market’s needs and faces its own difficulties.
These statements come as a national plan to address the temporary shortage has been approved, which includes establishing an early warning platform and launching a campaign to promote the use of generic drugs, alongside continued demands for a fundamental solution to the Central Pharmacy’s liquidity problems, which are linked to its unpaid dues from social security funds and hospitals.