The lack of medicines for diabetes control was 100% at the beginning of 2017, Civil Association Convitated, which has just completed a year by raising the scarcity index of medicines for older people.

“The worrying thing in this case is that we notice an important growth, compared to 2016, of the shortage of medicines to treat diabetes.A year ago the percentage of shortage was between 75% and 78%;However, we have noticed that since January it is 100% and has remained so far this year, ”said Luis Francisco Cabezas, general director of the Civil Association.

He argued that through the study the availability or not in Venezuela of drugs for control of diabetes and hypertension, two of the most common morbidity suffered by older adults is evidenced.

With respect to antihypertensives, he stated that shortage in the last 12 months has remained fixed between 98% and 99%."Hypertension and diabetes are degenerative diseases with greater impacts on the elderly, which is why we maintain this alert, since the health and life of grandparents is constantly at risk," said heads.

He stressed that this situation represents a systematic violation of human rights, because the Venezuelan State has the responsibility of guaranteeing the right to life and health of the residents.

Regarding the technical aspects of the medicine scarcity index for the elderly, the activist informed that this study will be expanded in the coming months, joining two more morbidity and performing in 6 cities in the interior of the country.

He recalled that the investigation was designed with medical advice and that a basic basket of the most common medications that patients consume were prepared.

"Monthly, through the websites of large pharmacy chains, we consulted a total of 40 establishments located in the five municipalities of the Great Caracas," he added.

The remedies to which they are followed up to assess whether they are available or not:

Diabetes: Metformin, glyclazide and glibenclamide
Hypertension: Enalapril, Valsartan, Athenolol, Nifedipine, Amlodipin and Potassium Losartan