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The official Cuban press has focused on the informal market for medications in the country amidst the ongoing shortage of drugs in the state pharmacy network.
A report published by the newspaper Trabajadores describes how the buying and selling of medications outside official channels has spread across social media, digital platforms, and public spaces while many state pharmacies remain without essential treatments.
"A few years ago, to buy an antibiotic, it was enough to visit a few pharmacies, and if it wasn't available, you had to wait for the next distribution cycle. Nowadays, the situation is different: you just need to open a Telegram channel to find the medication you are looking for, offered as a common commodity," the text states.
According to the publication, the shortage of medications in pharmacies has driven many people to seek treatments in that parallel market. “Many of these lack proper storage or cold chain guarantees, but the truth is that they are a lifesaver for those who, in the face of scarcity, find no other option,” it adds.
The report includes testimonies from citizens who acknowledge turning to these vendors due to the inability to find medications in the state network. Susana Iraola Fernández, a 71-year-old woman living in Camagüey, explained that she had to resort to informal purchasing when products started to disappear from pharmacies.
"When medicines started to become scarce at the pharmacy, I was forced to buy on the street, especially antibiotics. I have always opposed that because you never know where they come from, but it's very hard to be sick and have nothing," she said.
Lázaro Marín, a medical student, is also mentioned, noting that on several occasions he has had to purchase medication for his mother outside of official channels.
"There are people who sell them and tell you what they're for, without knowing for sure. That's why you have to be careful. The need is forcing people to turn to those resellers without any guarantee or security about what you're buying," he stated.
Health authorities quoted in the publication acknowledge difficulties in the production and supply of medications. The director of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Technologies at the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), Cristina Lara Bastanzuri, explained that "62% —equivalent to 403 products— must be manufactured by the national industry, while the remaining 38% are imported."
The vice president of BioCubaFarma, Santiago Dueñas Carrera, noted that the industry faces productive limitations. "It is enough for one of the more than a hundred components required for a medication to be missing for it not to be able to be produced," he stated.
The work also mentions the measure adopted in July 2021 that allows for the duty-free importation of medications for personal use. According to the text, that decision "alleviated the shortage but opened the door to untraceable medications."
The expansion of this parallel market occurs in a context of widespread medication shortages in the country. In several provinces, there has been recognition of the lack of hundreds of essential drugs and the need to prioritize available resources for hospitals and critically ill patients. In Villa Clara, for example, health authorities reported that 368 out of the 636 essential medications are in short supply, which affects all pharmaceutical families.
The situation is also reflected in the network of community pharmacies. In many establishments, shelves remain empty or only regulated medications are dispensed through a card system for specific patients. Images shared on social media frequently depict this reality, such as in a video where a young woman walks through a pharmacy and finds the shelves completely empty.
Meanwhile, the informal market has spread both online and in public spaces. The report from Trabajadores mentions the presence of vendors at various locations in Havana where they sell medications directly to passersby. "Buy your medication! Your medication is here!" some shout on the bridge at 100 and Boyeros.
In parallel, the authorities have carried out police operations in various provinces against the illegal sale of medications, resulting in seizures and arrests related to this activity. In one such operation, for example, the police intervention against drug sellers in Santiago de Cuba sparked criticism on social media, where several citizens pointed out that they rely on this market to obtain treatments.
These actions take place in a context where many people turn to that market to access basic medicines due to the lack of products in state pharmacies.
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