Havana Volunteers Distribute Scarce Medicines as Cuba Approves Private Pharmacies
Community groups are filling gaps as state pharmacies run short, while officials review 36 private pharmacy proposals to expand medicine access.
- Every Thursday and Sunday, volunteers with the "Medicine Is Not for Sale" project distribute scarce drugs in Havana's Vedado neighborhood, providing a lifeline for Cubans struggling to find essential medication.
- State pharmacies currently stock only about one-third of the 603 medicines listed in the Health Ministry's basic program, with officials citing shortages of imported raw materials and fuel.
- Laura Mendoza's initiative receives more than 13 kilograms of medicine weekly from international donors, while informal sellers have charged up to 1,000 pesos for medication.
- Parliament approved a package of 176 economic measures in June allowing private pharmacies to operate, with authorities reviewing about 36 proposals to open these businesses.
- Until private pharmacies open, community-led projects remain the primary source of help for patients unable to find supplies at state-run facilities, though the government hopes private entrepreneurs can eventually import medicines.
35 Articles
35 Articles
Clarin
Independent EspañolCommunity pharmacies emerge in Cuba as a response to the shortage of medicines, aggravated by external restrictions and logistical problems. The opening of private pharmacies seeks to alleviate shortages, but raises doubts about their accessibility for those with low incomes.
Video: Cubans turn to free community pharmacies as medicines grow scarce
Twice a week, long lines form outside an apartment building in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana. Those are the days when dentist Laura Mendoza distributes free medicine from her doorstep. Mendoza runs one of the many community pharmacies that now exist in the capital and in several other provinces of Cuba. (AP Video by Ariel Fernández and Milexsy Durán) Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress Read more: https://apnews.com This video may …
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