You are here

  1. Home
  2. Contraband Modern in the Fes Medina
  3. Newspaper articles
  4. Newspaper articles 32, Contraband Modern in the Fes Medina

Newspaper articles 32, Contraband Modern in the Fes Medina

Smuggled medicines and others forged in the farmer market in Oujda

The smuggled medical products in the eastern region distress the economy and impoverish the pharmacists

Tens of young men queued in front of the farmers market in Oujda, some of whom present some smuggled medicines while others play the middlemen, so that you get the medicine right then without the physician's prescription. Indeed, the seller plays a doctor and pharmacist at the same time, in addition to the styles of persuasion involved to attract hundreds of customers, some of whom do not slacken in the possession of some medicines. The farmer market exists in Oujda, 14 km distant from Algeria, bordered in the north, the west, and the south by the agricultural commune of Ankad people, in the west by Isli commune. The trade represents one of the most important vital sectors in the city’s, given that it remained ever since its establishment the axis via which the commercial convoys cross towards Fez to the west, Tilimsan to the west and Figig to the south.

The farmer market is not the only market where smuggled medicines are brought into exhibition, but it is only one sample for a number of markets that actively trades in both medical and not quite medical medicines. There is even an assortment of markets in Beni Drar and Tangier. It is noticed that this medicinal sector witnesses a wide-scale extension along the eastern region, which cannot be swallowed by some physicians and pharmacists, who emphasized that the existence of a bunch of criminals specialized in circulating smuggled medicines.

Fatima Yassine (SABAH’s correspondent in Oujda)

Which medicine do you need? A headache? We have all what you need: Aspirin, Augmentin penicillin, we have everything there is and everything that there isn’t, etc. These are the first words employed by the sellers of smuggled medicines to catch the attention of clients at the gate of the farmer market in Oujda, along which queues tens of sellers, some of whom displays few medicines. Some, on the other hand, works to attract clients.

Youngsters, men, and boys, some of whom stretch out on the ground, while others choose a short wall to exhibit their medicines, expensive and cheap. The voices escalate in appraisal of good quality medicines, which exerts a pull on clients to close up to listen to their prescriptions. And since they are versed in persuasion, some clients get prompted to purchase these medicines though they come to the market for other purposes.

His speech on specific medicines and their efficacy in the curing of certain illnesses, his manner in explaining symptoms makes you think he is a physician or a graduate from the faculty of medicine and pharmacy. In this way appears Mohammed (22 years old), who dropped out of school more then 10 years ago when he reached his sixth elementary class.

Mohammed is not the sole seller excellent at the arts of medicine, pharmacy and styles of trading. There are handfuls of youngsters who play the medical doctor and the pharmacist in one show, attracting a swarm of clients of different ages. Hicham (a seller) said that immediately after leaving his sixth high school level, he found that selling smuggled medicines is a function that grants him a good living. He added that this job was handed down to him by his dead father, who gained celebrity in the farmer market.

As to Radouan (a graduate in law), he hammered to excess that the city is empty of any factories that can provide job for the young unemployed. For this reason, the youth of the region resort to trading in a variety of smuggled products (commodities, medicinal products and almost medicinal ones).

“I spent more than 6 years selling smuggled medical products, and, praise be to Allah, no one died of the medicines in circulation in the market” this is what Radouan emphasized, Radouan who put this interest in smuggled medicine down to their less costly prices if compared with those displayed in pharmacies.

Though the smuggled medicines from Algeria are a type, the purchasing of which necessitates prescriptions by specialized doctors, Mohammed does not hesitate at all in bringing them. at the start, we did not know wherefrom these sellers bring these medicines, but after we crept into some alleys, we found out that they possess drugstores, either in houses, or in shops not specialized in medicines on the condition that they pay its storage price.

Yamna (56 years old) says that she is used to obtaining Amoksilin (Antibiotics) from the farmer market with 30dh instead of 90dh in the pharmacy, stressing that she did not suffer any side effects upon taking that medicine.

From another perspective, a frequent visitor of the market confirmed that it had been a long time since he bought medicines from the pharmacy. Whenever he gets a prescription from a doctor he goes directly to the market to get more convenient prices. He, for instances, states that he purchases Augmentin, which is not provided by the pharmacist unless he gets a prescription because it contains a matter more efficient than Penicillin, with 100dh instead of 180dh in the pharmacy, in addition to (Arayt Penicillin) which is low-priced (25dh).

The farmer market exists in Oujda, 14 km distant from Algeria, bordered in the north, the west, and the south by the agricultural commune of Ankad people, in the west by Isli commune. The trade represents one of the most important vital sectors in the city’s, given that it remained ever since its establishment the axis via which the commercial convoys cross towards Fez to the west, Tlimsan to the west and Figig to the south. It witnessed during the colonial occupation a vital trade, given that it operated as a commercial mediator between eastern Morocco and western Algeria.

The farmer market is not the only market where smuggled medicines are brought into exhibition, but it is only one sample for a number of markets that actively trades in both medical and not quite medical medicines. There is even an assortment of markets in Beni Drar and Tangier. It is noticed that this medicinal sector witnesses a wide-scale extension along the eastern region and it differs in style. Yet it remains unfaithful to health conditions because of the poor storage circumstances. Indeed, a doctor substantiated that these medicines are capable of causing harmful effects because of transportation conditions, and absence of special refrigerators that can both prevent it from damage or from exposure to humidity, which can cause chronic or acute intoxication with medicines such as Insulin which goes under-controlled in the market, knowing that it needs very special conditions such as storage in medical refrigerators. Moreover, there exist in the market some ointments and syrups which need specific temperature, let alone the medical pills that get distributed in improper conditions. Some boiling pills, the doctor indicated, lose their efficacy if exposed to humidity. Some expired medicines kill.

In this vein, a visitor expressed his disavowal for the state whereby medicines get exposed to the sun and dust for the whole day, without any control conditions, knowing that some cannot support some temperatures, nor the absence of medical prescriptions. The same thing was confirmed by Omar Ahjira, the President of the Independent Pharmacists Association in Oujda, adding that that effected many contacts in order to eradicate the smuggling of medicines, especially that medicines are both vital products that pertain to human health and also abide by some rules and regulations. For that purpose, the pharmacists are in constant fighting to create medical set of laws (code) so that pharmacy enjoys some tidy order.

From another point of view, Ahjira highlighted that the markets are replete with medicines that are not suitable for use, or that are not allowed to circulate such as drugs. He also underlined that some South African companies are experts in forging medicines under the name of big international companies. He attributed the reasons behind trading in smuggled medicines to the absence of investments in the regions that lie next to Algeria, in addition to unemployment and no alternatives.

Though the smuggled medicines from Algeria are a type, the purchasing of which necessitates prescriptions by specialized doctors, Mohammed does not hesitate at all in bringing them. At the start, we did not know wherefrom these sellers bring these medicines, but after we crept into some alleys, we found out that they possess drugstores, either in houses, or in shops not specialized in medicines on the condition that they pay its storage price.

Doctor Khalid Boayad, President of the Syndicate of Doctors of the private sector in Oujda, that they have no idea about the quality of smuggled medicines, since they come from Algeria through famous gangs from Italy and Russia. For this reason, Boayad states that the syndicate fights to prevent the access of these medicines, since all medicines must submit to control and examination to identify their quality and efficacy.

Boayad inserted that the exhibition of these medicines constitutes a threat on human health, especially of intoxicating pills such as (qarqoubi) which started to spread among students high schools and primary school, clarifying that some medicines are traded without prescriptions, such as Proxilin which has many side effects.

In this vein, a visitor expressed his disavowal for the state whereby medicines get exposed to the sun and dust for the whole day, without any control conditions, knowing that some cannot support some temperatures, nor the absence of medical prescriptions. The same thing was highlighted by a citizen who was shocked upon finding drugs meant for psychological illnesses, and which have bad effects if not recommended by a doctor or pharmacist, not counting (qerqoubi) which circulates in daylight in spite of the security measure which are nothing but occasional as deemed by some people.

Smuggling of medicines is one of the most negative phenomena in the eastern region, given the health problems it generates, endangering thousands of lives. However, the tough economic conditions that govern the region, as seen by some, played a large role in softening the supervisory role on those medicines, which secures their spreading in markets.

While SABAH was touring the farmer market, we were informed that local security arrested the most influential smuggler of medicines in the region, thus seizing great quantities of different medicines that he wanted to sell at night to installation sellers.

The previous year the local security agencies in Oujda seized a good quantity of smuggled Algerian medicines at the farmer market, the owners of medicines fled. Among the medicines they found 80 boxes, 25 of which are Bitaron’s and 14 of which are Ventolin’s and boxes of Orain.

One of the most desired medicines in the Oujda market is Calmant, a specialist medicine for headaches, which is censored in pharmacies. Not far from the market we saw a great demand for this medicine. When we inquired about the reason behind people’s unusual demand for these pills, a doctor elucidated that it contains addictive ingredients.

These examplify how smuggled Algerian medicine and fake medical products are a wide spread phenomenon in the eastern region. This phenomenon reaches at times interior cities. The expedition done by SABAH in the morning inside the farmer market proved that the trade in medicines is highly marketable throughout the year. Becoming more marketable during holidays and seasons where the demand for anti-cough categories is high.

A study undertaken by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Oujda illustrated the big dichotomy between smuggled medicines and national medicines, which reaches 32% minimum and 54.6% maximum.

The prices of medicines are not stable, and double or reduce according to supply and demand.

Some observers are astonished at the cheap price of medicines in the Moroccan market, in comparison with the high prices charged for the same medicines in Algeria. Some question what the objective is behind swamping the Moroccan market with useless, addictive products whose affects break down famiy units, dispossessing children. Some ask whether it is a political affair, placed upon the citizen who resorts to these medicines out of financial deficiency.

Harsha: A war of extermination against pharmacists

Mohammed Harsha, the president of the regional syndicate of Oujda, emphasized that smuggled medicines cause problems for pharmacists, especially as they are low-priced, this creates a crisis in the city’s pharmacy sector. He notes that in order to get medicines, more than 30% of pharmacists are required to check the company of distribution. This shows that the policy of medicine obtainment is complicated, declaring that it is an illegal gesture that requires immediate intervention of both the Ministry of Health and local authorities to solve this problem.

Harsha also critically reflects on the case where the pharmacist is fined 100 million cents if s/he were to be caught selling medicines in the absence of prescriptions, not counting imprisonment, which is not the case with the seller who, though possessing no diplomas, pays a simple fine, which he all considers a war of extermination against pharmacists. Thus he underlined that the matter should be taken into consideration, particularly the Pharmacy Code is soon to be had.

In the same vein, Harsha stressed that the majority of medicines put on show in the market is hardly hygienic.

Harsha wondered whether the smuggled medicine are meant to target the Moroccan people, saddling them with drug-suffused medicines such as (qarqoubi). It would be normal, he speculates, if these intoxicating medicines are circulating within the Algerian cities, but he concluded that they are not.

From this perspective, Harsha declared that pharmacists’ organization structured awareness campaigns around the seriousness of taking so destructive a medicine, specially among pupils and youngsters.

Harsha indicated that the syndicate of Oujda sent a letter to the city’s aedile informing him that the city is under the invasion of smuggled medicines that don’t abide by any control from the Ministry of Health and Office of Customs Collections. They are in circulation because they are inexpensive, regardless of the fact that they are sold out in the open, under the immediacy of the sun and dust, knowing that some cannot support some temperatures, while others need the urgent presence of medical prescriptions by specialized physicians and medical experts.

At the end, Harsha asked for intervention to stop this hazardous phenomenon, and equally stop people who trade in the health of citizens.

Translated by Moulay Driss Elmaarouf