Cheap Drugs Sold on The Streets of Mutare

By Tariro Guwira

Mutare -The recent price increase in the price of medical drugs has seen some Zimbabweans resort to buys medicines from the black market where the prices are lower.

Some enterprising Zimbabweans living in Mutare are importing drugs from Mozambique and South Africa and selling to desperate people who require them but cannot afford to pay the high pharmacy prices or to pay in American dollars. Many people with chronic ailments had been left stranded when drug stores suddenly started to demand payment in foreign currency.

Local hospitals have also been affected by the shortage of drugs and have been inundated by large numbers of people trying to get their monthly allocation of drugs. There is a growing number of Zimbabweans suffering from diabetes or high blood pressure.

Memory Njanji who started buying drugs on the Mozambican streets and reselling in Mutare told VoteWatch263 that her trade had picked up tremendously because of the crisis in the country. She said business was booming.

“I have been selling drugs for the past two years. In Mozambique, medical drugs can be found on the streets just like sweets. I usually import paracetamol, cafemol and cough syrups. When pharmacies started charging in hard currency my sales increased because the demand also soared,” said a beaming Njanji.

While some people are now buying drugs on the streets, some have turned to traditional medicine.

Peter Muradzikwa, a traditional healer affiliated to the Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers Association (ZINATHA) said people had started buying herbs because they were affordable.

“The demand for people to pay in American dollars by the pharmacies has brought business to our doorstep. The concoctions we sell have also become popular over the past few weeks. Our prices are reasonable and people like that. It is an option people can afford,” said Muradzikwa.

However, a medical doctor, Malvern Sibanda expressed concern over people consuming unprescribed drugs. He said it was important for people to continue buying medication from authorised dealers and to take the drugs that had been prescribed by their doctors or healthcare centres.

“The major problem is that most of the drugs sold on the streets have already expired and could be harmful. Some of the drugs do not even qualify to be classified as medication,” added Sibanda.

A Mutare resident, Mercy Mandinga said she used social media to advertise the drugs she brings in through other people. She said before the foreign currency crisis the people used to go on buying trips by-monthly but now she has a group of people going into South Africa every day.