When mass media deal with the issue of fake medication, their treatment of such a critical health problem is usually timid and superficial. Media lack the necessary follow up to recognize the reaction of people and affiliated officials and to realize the dimensions of the problem and suggestions to overcome it.
Since Egyptians have been suffering for decades from a long list of health problems including air pollution, drinking water mixed with wastewater and the carcinogenic food and crops, it is unfair that they are deprived from the proper medication due to corruption, the lack of governmental oversight and the consequent medication fraud.
Medication fraud takes different forms ranging from decreasing the active substance to imitating the original medicine, particularly expensive ones such as hepatitis and kidney failure drugs. These fake medications do not help the recovery of patients. Recent statistics indicate that 20 percent of the volume of medications produced in Egypt is fake, of which a high percentage is imported as there is a lack of governmental oversight over medication import, export and internal trade. Responsible bodies must have known about factories in Dakahlia governorate producing over 60 percent of the fake drugs in Egypt.
The health of a citizen should have top priority of the government so that the new generations are capable of achieving welfare in Egypt. Governmental supervisory authorities must conduct a strategy to overcome the fake drugs problem in Egypt through inclusive inspection campaigns over local drug factories, imported drugs and pharmacies. They must conduct regular inspections to collect random samples of medications and check their conformity with the universal standards.
Mass media should play a major role in solving this serious problem and should dig hard in the world of medication mafia in order to ensure the application of the universal standards in the manufacture of medications. Judicial authorities also should issue deterrent laws to protect Egyptian patients from merciless and greedy people.
