Residents of Caacupé and the community of Cabañas, in the Cordillera department, say they continue to face difficulties obtaining essential hypertension medications through the public health system. Patient Laura Martínez, from Compañía Cabañas, stated that for about a month she has been unable to get amlodipine at the local Family Health Unit (USF). “Every time I go, they say there isn’t any. I go to the Regional Hospital of Caacupé and I don’t find it either,” she said.
Martínez stressed that the situation is worrying because many hypertensive patients depend on daily use of these drugs. “The most expensive medicine is the one that isn’t available. We ask that they be empathetic and restock the medications faster, because not all of us can buy them out of pocket,” she said. She added that even when there is a restock at the USF in Cabañas, the quantity is not enough to cover demand.
The director of the Third Health Region, Dr. Luis Gómez, stated that there is currently availability of amlodipine and enalapril in regional stocks. He explained that medication replenishment occurs between the 1st and 5th of each month, after which it is distributed to the 69 health services across the 20 districts of Cordillera. Gómez added that if there is a shortage at the USF in Cabañas, those responsible should request and pick up the medications at the Sanitary Park.
Patients, however, question the effectiveness of the distribution system. “It seems they distribute it in a privileged way. We no longer know what to think or who to turn to,” Martínez said. The shortage of blood pressure drugs is a recurring problem in the region, worsened by the state of neglect at the Regional Hospital of Caacupé, as previous complaints have indicated.