Letter: Crisis for psychiatric patients

Cllr Vernon Pillay of KwaDukuza writes:

Patients who get their medicines for depression and epilepsy, that is anti-psychotic or anti-depressant medications, were told last month there would be no availability come February 2020.

Doctors from the KwaDukuza clinic did say, for example, that the SA government was having a problem because of a worldwide shortage and thus it will affect other clinics and our local hospital as well.

According to a TimesLive article dated September 20, “The most-affected drugs are citalopram, fluoxetine, haloperidol and olanzapine. The shortage of anti-psychotic drugs amitriptyline, chlorpromazine, clonazepam and risperidone have been addressed in the short term, the department said.”

The DA did raise the alarm bells in September 2019 about the impending crisis.

Most concerning is how our indigent people, who rely on these lifesaving medications; may be forced to go cold turkey.

Patients were told that they would have to purchase medication and a large number depend on social grants just to survive.

These medications may set them back close to R500 per month or more.

Example 30 x (2mg) Rivotril (clonazepam) pills, as sold by a popular retail pharmacy, will set one back R190.

Remember the more the milligrams (mg) the higher the price. This problem is set to plague even the private hospitals.

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