“To find a bag of urine you have to make an aimless pilgrimage to find a pharmacy that could dispense any product with these characteristics.” At the Federation of Associations of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities of the Community of MadridFAMMA-Cocemfe Madrid, calls come from people who use these sanitary products “desperate in this situation because they need urine bags or bags for ostomized people who need very demanding hygiene so as not to have infections and not put their lives at risk. It is reported today by this entity that requests urgent help from the Ministry of Health.
Everyday situations that cause an enormous impact and concern on patients and a huge headache for pharmacists who struggle to ensure that their patients are not left without their medicines. drugs. Far from improving, The problem of incidents in the supply of medicines “is growing.” Last year they increased by 30%, according to data provided just a few days ago by the president of the General Council of PharmacistsJesus Aguilar.
The complaint launched this Monday by FAMMA-Cocemfe Madrid is tremendous. Urges the Ministry of Health to which use “all available and existing legal resources to activate any emergency measure in the face of the alarming shortage of urine bags or ostomy bags that currently exists in pharmacies.” The entity explains that “the The main manufacturer of this type of health products has gone bankrupt and therefore, the lack of distribution of these products in Spain, that we do not manufacture, because we always import everything from abroad.
Looking for a urine bag
The Federation requests authorization to new suppliers of other brands that can serve the product “as an urgent alternative to alleviate this situation.” These products have a limited duration to prevent infections that can put people’s lives at risk. that they need them. And they criticize: “To find a urine bag or for ostomized people “You have to make an aimless pilgrimage to find a pharmacy that could dispense a product of these characteristics.”
The lack of these health products “leads to the loss of quality of life of people with disabilities and the appearance of infections that can put their lives at risk,” says the entity.
The lack of these health products “leads to the loss of quality of life of the People with disabilities and the appearance of infections that can put their lives at risk.”. “We thought we had learned from the pandemic when we did not have masks, but now it is about other essential products for health, which are in short supply because we also buy everything outside of Spain. Instead of thinking about citizens, we think about other efforts that have nothing to do with their problems,” it is emphasized.
The Federation asks the Ministry of Health to “act urgently in the face of an alarming situation, which has already occurred and for which no measures are being taken to correct it”.
Competence of the Ministry
This same Monday, the Ministry of Health of Madrid, has answered this question. “Regardless of the competencies that the Ministry of Health, “It is urgent that the Department of Health of the Community of Madrid adopt special and exceptional measures to authorize the sale to other suppliers that facilitate the sale of these products of vital importance for people with disabilities.”
“Citizens with disabilities no longer understand competencies and do understand about seeking solutions to alleviate complex situations in the face of a possible danger to their health status and if, in the end, we are in a country where competencies hinder solutions, we will have to think about changing the powers to correct these problems,” they indicate from this department.
“It is important that this situation be resolved as a matter of urgency, since people’s health is being put at risk because the stock markets, generate bacteria and microorganisms that seriously harm people’s health and even cause death,” indicates the Federation.
As the Federation has reported, the company that supplied these products has gone bankrupt. The Community of Madrid, within its powersindicate from the Ministry of Health, informed the Spanish Medicines Agency and Health Products (AEMPS) this lack of health products on Tuesday, February 6. The AEMPS, for its part, notified this deficiency to the Community on the 9th, that is, three days later.
A national problem
The Ministry clarifies that this is a problem at the national level that is, therefore, the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and the AEMPS; They insist that they are the ones who have to coordinate the actions that are relevant with all the autonomous communities, the community indicates. Counselor Fátima Matute has already said That everything possible will be done to solve it as soon as possible.
However, the Community of Madrid assures that it has made itself available to the Ministry and the AEMPS to help in the search for suppliers. “The idea is that as soon as new quality alternatives are found, they can be marketed as soon as possible,” the Ministry of Health says.