Medicine shortages reported in Santa Cruz and Cúcuta

Patients in Santa Cruz, Argentina, and Cúcuta, Colombia, are facing significant difficulties accessing essential medications due to supply shortages and administrative failures.

In Santa Cruz, patients report waiting months for critical treatments. One patient with rheumatoid arthritis noted she has been seeking corticosteroids for four months, leading to physical and mental health deterioration. Despite legal injunctions issued by judges to compel social service providers to deliver medication, patients claim the providers have failed to respond to court orders.

In Cúcuta, users of Nueva EPS and the pharmaceutical operator Cafam are reporting incomplete deliveries. Patients often receive only a fraction of their prescribed medications, receiving pending receipts that frequently do not result in actual delivery. This has forced many to purchase drugs out of pocket, creating an economic burden. Some patients also reported receiving incorrect medications that did not match their medical prescriptions.