Original version

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

Assignment

Factual

Investigations and journeys into the heart of global events from BBC correspondents.

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service

Assignment: Desperate for Meds in Egypt

Documentaries

News

Desperate for Meds in Egypt

16/02/2017 GMT

BBC World Service - Assignment, Desperate for Meds in Egypt

A crash in the currency has left a critical lack of drugs, and left thousands desperate

A crash in the Egyptian currency has left a critical lack of drugs, and left thousands desperate for help. For some of those in need, it’s a race against time.

Egypt has been in the grip of economic turmoil ever since November when the government decided to devalue the Egyptian pound following pressure from the International Monetary Fund. Almost overnight, imported goods doubled in price, and pharmaceutical drugs were among the most critically affected. 

The crisis has been made worse by government imposed caps on essential drug prices, meaning the pharmacies claim they are selling medications at a loss.  

For Assignment, Ed Butler meets a woman whose mother has diabetes and a partially-abled man, both urgently needing potentially life-saving medication. 

He finds some resorting to the predations of the black-market and undercover Twitter pharmacies to get hold of the medications they need. To prevent social instability, the government isn’t allowing shop prices to increase in step with inflation – but how long can they resist the pressure, and how long can sick Egyptians cope?  

Ed Butler reporting and producing

(Photo: Donated second hand drugs in an Egyptian pharmacy)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Assignment

Desperate for Meds in Egypt

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

About BBC World Service