Consequences of Collapse: Access to Critical Medicines Is Disappearing in Greece

Family Preppers ^ | 5/18/12 | Mac Slavo

[Kartographer]

For patients and pharmacists in financially stricken Greece, even finding aspirin has turned into a headache.

Mina Mavrou, who runs a pharmacy in a middle-class Athens suburb, spends hours each day pleading with drugmakers, wholesalers and colleagues to hunt down medicines for clients. Life-saving drugs such as Sanofi (SAN)’s blood-thinner Clexane and GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK)’s asthma inhaler Flixotide often appear as lines of crimson data on pharmacists’ computer screens, meaning the products aren’t in stock or that pharmacists can’t order as many units as they need.

“When we see red, we want to cry,” Mavrou said. “The situation is worsening day by day.”

The 12,000 pharmacies that dot almost every street corner in Greek cities are the damaged capillaries of a complex system for getting treatment to patients. The Panhellenic Association of Pharmacists reports shortages of almost half the country’s 500 most-used medicines.

“It would be unrealistic to deny that there are many difficulties regarding all public services due to the financial crisis,” Nicolaos Polyzos, secretary general of the Ministry of Health, wrote in a response to McKee’s article posted on the ministry’s website.

[Kartographer]

A heads-up of what is coming. I don't think (and I pray) it won't get this bad here, but I expect spot shortages and you can expect the number of available outlets to drop in a several economic down turn.

[Kartographer]

Preppers’ PING!

[Venturer]

Who knows how it will get here with Obamacare.?

Those who voted for it don’t.

They will get theirs. They don’t have Obamacare.

[109ACS]

Time to head out to the aquarium supply store. (quasi-obscure prepper reference)

[bgill]

The 12,000 pharmacies that dot almost every street corner in Greek cities

One cog might be that there are too many pharmacies for suppies in Greece if they're truly on every corner.

That said, we know there have been shortages here for a couple years. A couple weeks ago I was at Walmart to pick up some basics and saw many empty shelves. Had to ask the pharmacist where some simple everyday OTC things were only to find out they had them behind the counter. She claimed she hadn't had time to put them out --- uh, no, stockers do that, not the pharmacist. I noticed they only had a handful of each item still in their packing boxes so that didn't make any sense - like they were intentionally holding them back and selling only when someone asked about them.

[Kartographer]

[TexasRepublic]

“I don’t think (and I pray) it won’t get this bad here...”

The possible lack of access to expensive life-saving prescriptions is what worries me the most. They are very expensive and the insurance company won’t pay for more than a one month supply for some of them, so I can’t “prep” for some lengthy unforeseen event.

[Travis McGee]

Shoot, what’s the problem? Even Cuba and N. Korea have medical care, don’t they?

So just die a little, Greeks!

[PapaBear3625]

The reality: Greece's public health system is not paying market price, demanding brand name rather than generic (while not paying market price), and is very behind on paying their bills.

It's not that pharmacists can't get drugs, it's that drug companies want to be paid before shipping more drugs, and pharmacists are not getting paid in a timely manner by the Greek government.

[PapaBear3625]

Had to ask the pharmacist where some simple everyday OTC things were only to find out they had them behind the counter. She claimed she hadn't had time to put them out --- uh, no, stockers do that, not the pharmacist.

I'm guessing shoplifting issues rather than supply issues.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Just declare access to medicine to be a “human right”, expropriate the formulas and begin cranking them out in state factories.

Problem solved.

[Brass Lamp]

You know, I think I have the solution to the Greek Crisis. They should adopt work as the new currency. This work stuff could then be exchanged for essentials like food and medicine. I'm not joking. They should monetize hourly labor in denominations of effort.

[MrB]

Just heard and interview with the authors, looks good:

[Georgia Girl 2]

Go to www.survivinghealthy.com and you can order antibiotics from a licensed US doctor. Perfectly legal. You can also stockpile other meds you may take.

[109ACS]

Go to www.survivinghealthy.com and you can order antibiotics from a licensed US doctor. Perfectly legal. You can also stockpile other meds you may take.

Very helpful info, thank you.

[Free_in_Alabama]

They can get to any location in the EU and pay cash for it no problem. What they cant do is get it for “Free” with their Greece Obomacare gift card. Go figure, the product manufacturer wants to get paid. How dare them want payment from Greece. No one gets paid from Greece we are supposed to pay them.

Socialism kills! Dumb asses.

[SVTCobra03]

doomandbloom.net has a series of articles on antibiotics and their use in collapse medicine. It tells you which ones you need, dosages and diseases they are used for.

[outofsalt]

Already Happening! You’ll be surprised at how long the FDA list is currently.
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/DrugShortages/ucm050792.htm
Stock up what you can.

[tbw2]

Then there are outright bans, such as good CFC propellant in inhalers, leaving asthma and COPD patients with more costly and less effective inhalers.

[SaraJohnson]

They even get aspirin from the government. When the government sneezes, they die. That is what happens when you put all your eggs in Stalin's basket.