Private pharmacies in Juba are running out of essential drugs due to disruption of flights between Juba and Khartoum and lack of hard currency to import them from East Africa.
St. Joseph Pharmacy managing director John Charles Lodu told CRN that his drug store is lacking some antibiotics and cough syrups.He explained that the big private pharmacies were importing more than 80 percent of their drugs from Sudan but the current political situation and the end of domestic flights between Juba and Khartoum disrupted supplies.
He said the shortage is only for drugs coming from Khartoum.
Dr Charles added that pharmacies are not getting drugs from Kenya and Uganda because they have not have hard currency.
He said lack of US dollars is the main issue facing big pharmacies in Juba.
He explained that although pharmacists were told to acquire trading and import licences to access hard currency there is not enough dollars in the market.
Dr Charles is urging the Pharmaceutical Syndicate of South Sudan to talk to the national Finance Ministry so that big private pharmacies can have the dollars they need to import drugs form abroad.