Pharmacies 'ran out of 150 types of medicine ahead of price hike'

Müzeyyen Yüce

Turkish patients seeking medicine leave pharmacies empty-handed as medical firms and depots have suspended the release of products amid upcoming price hikes due on Feb. 15, according to a deputy of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

Burhanettin Bulut said that 150 types of medicine are currently unavailable in the market due to an “artificially-created crisis” and that this number will increase in February.

The CHP deputy criticized the Health Ministry for failing to bring a permanent solution to this “drug crisis” despite it happening every year just before the Price Evaluation Commission of the Health Ministry sets the new exchange rate for imported medicines.

This commission gathers within the first 45 days of every year and announces the 1 Euro value which determines the medicines' sale prices.

Bulut said that Turkey's “wrong drug policies” made it a country that is import-dependent. “The money spent on drugs imported from abroad and the imported drug quantity have increased in the last 13 years. One out of every drug used in 2019 [in Turkey] has been imported,” he said.

The Turkish Pharmacists' Association (TEB) confirmed that pharmacies are running out of medicine, saying pharmaceutics should contact them about which drugs are in shortage.

“Among the reasons that medical firms imposes a restriction [on medicine supplies] can be price hikes. And during these periods, the distribution firms might be giving limited amount of medicines to pharmacies,” said the association's chair Erdoğan Çolak.

This year, the Price Evaluation Commission will announce the 1 Euro value based on calculation of 60 percent of the annual average Euro value of the previous year. Çolak said that this means an increase in the Euro rate for imported medicines by 10-11 percent. The new prices will be announced on Feb. 15 and will come into force five days later, on Feb. 20.

Medicine shortages are a regular problem in Turkey at the start of each year, when the government sets the exchange rate for all drug purchases.

Many of the medicines in Turkey are imported and most of the locally manufactured drugs use imported raw materials, making the exchange rate a crucial factor in cost.

Last year, following the sharp depreciation of the Turkish Lira, shortages have been even more acute.