Chaos hit pharmacies on Friday as the new pricing system went into effect raising prices by 15 percent for locally produced drugs and 20 percent for imported drugs. The Pharmacists Syndicate rejected the decision to enforce the new pricing system, saying it would revise the products included in the new price list and declare the real prices to the public opinion. The Syndicate has planned a strike against the new pricing system, which is due tomorrow Sunday. Health Minister Ahmed Emad Eddin said he believes Egyptian pharmacists would comply to the new pricing system, threatening at the main time with harsh penalties against those who violate the decision. The Egyptian Center to Protect the Right to Medicine described the new pricing system as “catastrophic” and called on the government to sack the health minister.

Source: Egypt Independent January 14, 2017 11:02 UTC