What Happened
The Social Security Fund (CSS) announced the arrival of medication batches on March 26 for chronic conditions and other health needs, including high-demand drugs such as amlodipine 5 mg, irbesartan 300 mg, iron ampoules and hyaluronic acid. But at the CSS pharmacy inside the Dr. Edilberto Culiollis polyclinic in Las Cumbres on Monday, March 30, patients still faced empty shelves for several essential medicines.
Among the drugs still unavailable were amlodipine, carvedilol and gabapentin. For many patients, that meant leaving with partial prescriptions or no treatment at all.
Patients Still Leave Empty-Handed
The shortage was especially evident for people managing chronic conditions such as hypertension, thyroid disease and diabetes. One woman searching for medication for her parents was able to obtain irbesartan for her father and levothyroxine for her mother, but carvedilol and gabapentin were still missing. In total, she filled only two of five medications she needed.
Others also described repeated trips to CSS pharmacies with no success. Complaints echoed across social media, where patients said the same thing happens week after week: they arrive with prescriptions and leave without the drugs their doctors ordered.
The frustration extended beyond Las Cumbres. In the diabetes clinic at the Santiago Barraza polyclinic in La Chorrera, patients said glucose meters are being handed out only to insulin users, while others say they have waited more than a year. People also continue to report shortages of blood pressure medications such as carvedilol and perindopril.
Why the Shortage Matters
Medication shortages have a direct impact on treatment continuity, especially for patients with chronic illnesses who need daily doses to control blood pressure, blood sugar or thyroid function. When prescriptions cannot be filled, treatment plans are interrupted and patients are forced to search from one pharmacy to another.
The problem has become a recurring source of public frustration with the CSS, which is responsible for supplying medicines to much of the country’s insured population. The gap between delivery announcements and what patients find at pharmacy counters has deepened skepticism about whether distribution is reaching clinics in time.
CSS Response and Internal Controls
CSS Director Dino Mon has acknowledged supply problems this year and linked part of the disruption to irregularities inside the distribution system. He said the institution closed December with 96% supply coverage, backed by purchases worth more than $124 million.
Mon also said internal theft of medicines has affected the availability of essential drugs such as amlodipine and irbesartan. According to his explanation, some supplies were diverted within the institutional network, contributing to shortages and delays in patient care.
To improve oversight, CSS has introduced the Medication and Supplies Logistics Administration System, known as SALMI. The platform is designed to track inventories in real time, reduce losses and improve distribution across the public health network.
What This Means for Patients
For patients dependent on public pharmacies, the immediate issue is not announcements but access. Every missing box means another delayed treatment, another return trip, and another day of uncertainty. The continuing complaints show that restoring supply at the warehouse level is not enough unless medicines reach the clinics where patients actually collect them.