Member of Parliament for Cumuto Manzanilla, Dr. Rai Ragbir, says he has been reliably informed that critical life-saving respiratory drugs have been depleted at many pharmacies across the country, putting the lives of countless children, adults and the elderly in grave danger.
Dr.Ragbir, a practicing medical doctor, says this development is “totally unacceptable, woefully worrisome, and brings into question the Government’s (mis) handling of the local medical system in the midst of a Global Pandemic”.
Among the respiratory medication Dr.Ragbir pointed out that are out of stock at local pharmacies includes, Ventolin Respiratory Solution, Pulmicort Respiratory Solution, Ipravent Respiratory Solution, Asthalin Respiratory Solution, and Artovent Respiratory Solution (original to Ipravent).
Dr.Ragbir warns, “and therefore I am insisting that the Health Minister brings clarity to this most distressing situation, as one can conclude that if this state of affairs exist in the private pharmaceutical setting, one can only opine that a similar situation also exist in the public health facilities, which is engaged in managing the lives of thousands of citizens in the midst of a Global Pandemic”.
The Cumuto Manzanilla MP lamented, “so the parallel healthcare system which the Health Minister lauded as being highly efficient and effective, could not even proactively discern that respiratory drugs and medication must be in constant supply, as the Coronavirus attacks the respiratory system of an individual; this scenario is even more worrying as the prevalence of the annual Saharan dust has been extreme, and such respiratory medication is critical in the treatment of persons with Asthma and other respiratory ailments associated with the presence of the Saharan dust”.
Dr.Ragbir says this blunder by the Government, if not addressed in the shortest possible time can have fatal consequences for citizens, particularly children, including adults, and more importantly, the elderly, with underlying health conditions.
The Cumuto Manzanilla MP stated, “this is yet another example, in the midst of a Global Pandemic, of the Government’s ineptitude, mishandling, lack of vision, and total incompetence of dealing with a critical, yet straight forward issue, in managing the nation’s healthcare.
The Health Minister must assume responsibility for this grave error, have it fixed with the highest level of expediency, as the lives of numerous citizens are at stake.
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