Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 12/13/2006

[Guest guest]

U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) -

[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENT:

1 - ZIMBABWE: Sick economy fuels growth of fake drug market

1 - ZIMBABWE: Sick economy fuels growth of fake drug market

HARARE, 13 December (PLUSNEWS) - Zimbabwe's deteriorating health services have

made room for a thriving parallel market for drugs, many of them counterfeit,

warn concerned health professionals.

The sale of genuine as well as fake medicines on the streets was " big, booming

business, " said Dr Chimedza, the president of the Zimbabwe Medical

Association (ZIMA). " The health system has been adversely affected by the poorly

performing economy. There is a general shortage of drugs within the country and

unscrupulous dealers are capitalising on the situation by selling medical drugs

on the streets. "

Among health professionals the overriding concern is that there is no quality

control of the drugs available on the streets.

Drugs are much cheaper in the parallel market - Zimbabweans pay between five and

eight times less than they would for any drug from a registered pharmacy. A

month's course of antiretroviral medication could cost anywhere from US$200 to

$400 in the parallel market, against almost $1,200 from a legitimate source.

But with the low prices comes high risk. " In some of the cases, those who need

the drugs are not even aware of the dangers that are posed by buying from the

streets. Even where the drugs are genuine, they pose great danger to the sick

because they are not stored under prescribed conditions and can cause side

effects, " said Chimedza.

Galloping inflation, now hovering around 1,200 percent annually, and a scarcity

of foreign currency have crippled the health sector, creating shortages of

drugs, medical equipment and even medical personnel, who have migrated in search

of better salaries and living conditions.

" There is also a growing trend whereby unregistered practitioners are opening

surgeries and administering wrong injections on patients, in addition to

prescribing incorrect drugs, " added Chimedza. " But this is a very cruel and

immoral way of trying to earn a living. "

Most of the medicines on the parallel market were smuggled from neighbouring

countries, particularly Zambia and Botswana, where they were cheaper, Chimedza

said, but the employees of pharmaceutical companies and hospitals also stole

drugs and sold them to street traders.

He suggested that the health ministry and medical doctors carry out campaigns at

health centres to educate people about the dangers of buying drugs from

unregistered dealers. ZIMA also urged law enforcement agencies to be more aware

of the problem and to crackdown on the smuggling of medicines.

The flourishing illegal drug market is not limited to conventional medicine.

Siyachitema, 40, has AIDS. He was showing signs of recovering from

tuberculosis after being put on ARV therapy two years ago, until it became

unaffordable. Unemployed and unable to spend $1,200 a month on ARVs, he sought

the help of a self-proclaimed herbalist.

" It was desperation that drove me to the traditional healer. His medicine was

much cheaper, but it turned out that he was selling me a powder ground from

common tree leaves, " Siyachitema told IRIN. " As a result, my condition

deteriorated to the extent that I thought that I was going to die any time. "

Timely intervention by a nongovernmental organisation helped him to obtain free

ARVs, which saved his life.

Exnevia Gomo, director of traditional medicine in the Health Ministry, admitted

that the number of fake herbalists has grown. " Traditional medicine is

considered much cheaper, and is becoming more credible and popular following the

government's decision to officially recognise it ... in direct proportion, there

are more cases of people selling fake drugs to desperate patients, " Gomo told

IRIN.

Minister of Health Parirenyatwa said in October that the government did

not have enough resources to roll out free ARVs to more people. Only 42,000 of

an estimated 310,000 Zimbabweans in need of ARVs are receiving the drugs from

state institutions.

fm/jk/he/oa

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PLUSNEWS

Tel: +27 11 895-1900

Fax: +27 11 784-6759

Email: Mail@...

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Subscriber: AIDS treatments

[Guest guest]

U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) -

[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENT:

1 - ZIMBABWE: Sick economy fuels growth of fake drug market

1 - ZIMBABWE: Sick economy fuels growth of fake drug market

HARARE, 13 December (PLUSNEWS) - Zimbabwe's deteriorating health services have

made room for a thriving parallel market for drugs, many of them counterfeit,

warn concerned health professionals.

The sale of genuine as well as fake medicines on the streets was " big, booming

business, " said Dr Chimedza, the president of the Zimbabwe Medical

Association (ZIMA). " The health system has been adversely affected by the poorly

performing economy. There is a general shortage of drugs within the country and

unscrupulous dealers are capitalising on the situation by selling medical drugs

on the streets. "

Among health professionals the overriding concern is that there is no quality

control of the drugs available on the streets.

Drugs are much cheaper in the parallel market - Zimbabweans pay between five and

eight times less than they would for any drug from a registered pharmacy. A

month's course of antiretroviral medication could cost anywhere from US$200 to

$400 in the parallel market, against almost $1,200 from a legitimate source.

But with the low prices comes high risk. " In some of the cases, those who need

the drugs are not even aware of the dangers that are posed by buying from the

streets. Even where the drugs are genuine, they pose great danger to the sick

because they are not stored under prescribed conditions and can cause side

effects, " said Chimedza.

Galloping inflation, now hovering around 1,200 percent annually, and a scarcity

of foreign currency have crippled the health sector, creating shortages of

drugs, medical equipment and even medical personnel, who have migrated in search

of better salaries and living conditions.

" There is also a growing trend whereby unregistered practitioners are opening

surgeries and administering wrong injections on patients, in addition to

prescribing incorrect drugs, " added Chimedza. " But this is a very cruel and

immoral way of trying to earn a living. "

Most of the medicines on the parallel market were smuggled from neighbouring

countries, particularly Zambia and Botswana, where they were cheaper, Chimedza

said, but the employees of pharmaceutical companies and hospitals also stole

drugs and sold them to street traders.

He suggested that the health ministry and medical doctors carry out campaigns at

health centres to educate people about the dangers of buying drugs from

unregistered dealers. ZIMA also urged law enforcement agencies to be more aware

of the problem and to crackdown on the smuggling of medicines.

The flourishing illegal drug market is not limited to conventional medicine.

Siyachitema, 40, has AIDS. He was showing signs of recovering from

tuberculosis after being put on ARV therapy two years ago, until it became

unaffordable. Unemployed and unable to spend $1,200 a month on ARVs, he sought

the help of a self-proclaimed herbalist.

" It was desperation that drove me to the traditional healer. His medicine was

much cheaper, but it turned out that he was selling me a powder ground from

common tree leaves, " Siyachitema told IRIN. " As a result, my condition

deteriorated to the extent that I thought that I was going to die any time. "

Timely intervention by a nongovernmental organisation helped him to obtain free

ARVs, which saved his life.

Exnevia Gomo, director of traditional medicine in the Health Ministry, admitted

that the number of fake herbalists has grown. " Traditional medicine is

considered much cheaper, and is becoming more credible and popular following the

government's decision to officially recognise it ... in direct proportion, there

are more cases of people selling fake drugs to desperate patients, " Gomo told

IRIN.

Minister of Health Parirenyatwa said in October that the government did

not have enough resources to roll out free ARVs to more people. Only 42,000 of

an estimated 310,000 Zimbabweans in need of ARVs are receiving the drugs from

state institutions.

fm/jk/he/oa

[ENDS]

Your input is important. Please complete our annual survey at

http://www.irinnews.org/readership_survey.aspThis is non-reply e-mail. Please do

not hesitate to contact us at Mail@....

Principal donors: IRIN is generously supported by Australia, Canada, Denmark,

ECHO, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and

the United States of America. For more information, go to:

http://www.IRINnews.org/donors

[This item comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian news and information

service, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its

agencies. All IRIN material may be reposted or reprinted free-of-charge; refer

to the copyright page (Http://www.irinnews.org/copyright ) for conditions of

use. IRIN is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian

Affairs.]

PLUSNEWS

Tel: +27 11 895-1900

Fax: +27 11 784-6759

Email: Mail@...

To make changes to or cancel your subscription visit:

http://www.irinnews.org/subscriptions

Subscriber: AIDS treatments