Aden witnesses a significant increase in drug prices since the beginning of this year.

Arabian Sea - Exclusive

Aden Governorate has witnessed an unprecedented rise in drug prices over the past six months, with increases reaching 100% in a large number of essential drug types, amid a clear absence of official oversight from the concerned authorities. Citizens and pharmacists indicated in separate conversations that drug prices have seen rapid jumps since the beginning of this year, affecting chronic disease medications such as diabetes and blood pressure, in addition to antibiotics, children's medicines, and vitamins, making it difficult for many families to provide treatment for their members, especially in light of the difficult living conditions and the decline in the citizen's purchasing power. Some pharmacists said that some importing companies have raised drug prices by varying percentages under the pretext of the deterioration of the Yemeni riyal exchange rate against foreign currencies, while the markets are left prey to supply and demand without any intervention from the Ministry of Health or the Supreme Authority for Medicines. Some citizens wondered: Where is the role of government oversight? And why are drug dealers allowed to control the market and raise prices without deterrence? Pointing out that the continuation of this situation portends a health disaster and opens the door to the exacerbation of diseases and the deterioration of the health of thousands of patients. This increase comes amid weak control over the quality of the drugs themselves, and the spread of smuggled or expired varieties in some pharmacies, which increases health concerns in a society that already suffers from the fragility of the medical sector and the lack of a health insurance system.