Severe drug shortages leave Venezuelans with epilepsy and their families struggling

• With 85 of every 100 drugs missing, Venezuela faces an acute shortage of pharmaceutical drugs needed to treat a range of otherwise manageable illnesses, including epilepsy, schizophrenia, HIV, and cancer.
• Families report traveling hundreds of miles to obtain necessary drugs, sourcing from abroad, and taking expired or inappropriate medication.
• President Nicolas Maduro has blamed the shortage on a right-wing plot to overthrow him and announced new counteractive investments, although little progress has been seen.

Read

“Epileptics struggle amid drug shortages in Venezuela” (Reuters | March 2017)

“Venezuela Is Falling Apart” (The Atlantic | May 2016)

“‘You name it, we can’t treat it.’” (Caracas Chronicles | March 2016)

“Falta de medicinas descompensa a los pacientes psiquiátricos” (El Universal | August 2014)

(Image Credit: Carlos Garcia Rawlings/Reuters)