Pharmacies thriving on short supply of Heparin

LAHORE: An acute shortage of life-saving drug heparin, used in kidney dialysis, is causing a lot of inconvenience to patients, while profiteers were fleecing customers asking for the life-saving injection, Pakistan Today has learnt. According to an estimate, nearly 300 dialysis are performed across government hospitals in the provincial metropolis everyday and the use of heparin is vital in it. Mayo Hospital Urology Department Head Dr Nawaz Chugtai said that during dialysis blood comes through a filter and heparin is injected in the blood so that it does not form clots. He said that the importance of the injection was evident from the fact that it was a life-saving drug.
The vital injection was manufactured in Denmark by Leo company and supplied to different outlets through various distributors across the country. The retail price of Heparin was Rs 190 but it was being sold for Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 at different medical stores across the city. This had inconvenienced patients who had to run from one pillar to the other to initially search for the medicine and then purchase it at a higher price. Mushtaq Ahmad, who came for dialysis of his father at the Jinnah Hospital, told Pakistan Today that doctors asked him to purchase the injection from outside the hospital. “I’ve looked for the injection in all big pharmacies near the hospital but in vain.
Then a friend referred me to a store which sold it for Rs 900. When I tried to bargain with the medical store owner, he said that the injection was not available in the market and I will have to purchase it on the said price,” Ahmad said adding that dialysis was a continuous process and patients have to repeatedly visit a hospital for it. “Doctors say that dialysis is not possible without heparin. I’m not a doctor and don’t understand these complexities either.
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure availability of such life-saving drugs at least. The poor can hardly pay the actual price, let alone three times of it,” Ahmad added. Manager of a leading pharmacy in the city revealed that the injection was not available at their outlets because Leo company was not manufacturing the drug for over 3 months. “We purchase medicines directly from the company and not from small distributors. Those who are selling the injection might have managed it from different sources. It was even possible that these medicines are being sold from the government hospitals stock.
The profiteers might have procured the stock from other cities for their business. It is unethical and illegal to overcharge for a medicine,” the manager said adding that the government controlled the rates of life-saving drugs and only they were short more often because it made more profits. Owner of a medical store opposite the Services Hospital where heparin was available at Rs 650 said that the injection was short and “even we have got it from the black market on inflated rates”.
Lahore Health Executive District Officer (EDO) Dr Umar Farooq said that the city government was trying to get a tip-off to apprehend profiteers behind the artificial shortage. “Criminals always hide after committing a crime. We are trying to bring those responsible to light and any suggestions in this regard are also welcome. Overcharging will be controlled as soon as the culprits are caught,” Farooq added.