Since last month, hospitals in the north and south have been without the drug "metaliza", which is given to patients in the event of a heart attack.
Some institutions are forced to look for and buy this medication themselves on the European market, where there is also a shortage, the price of which is around 950 euros per ampoule.
Institutions also lack "actyliza", a substitute medicine given to patients after myocardial infarction, which, according to doctors, has a much slower effect in preventing complications and death...
"Montefarm", the institution in charge of supplying hospitals with drugs, told "Vijesta" that the supply of "Metaliza", according to the supplier's announcements, was temporarily interrupted from August and that the resupply of this thrombolytic is expected in February next year, as claimed by the manufacturer "Boehringer Ingelheim” from Germany.
They also claim that they informed health institutions about the temporary shortage of this drug, which was last procured on July 25 of this year. "Montefarm" confirmed that there is not a single injection of "Metalize" in stock.
When asked about the shortage of substitute medicine, Montefarma said that they expect "Actiliza" by the end of the working week, after which it will be immediately delivered to institutions that have expressed a need for the aforementioned medicine.
Several hospitals in the north and south confirmed to "Vijesta" that the shortage of thrombolytics, primarily "metalize", not only hinders their functioning, but also puts into question the health and lives of citizens, especially those from rural areas.
"Vijesti" interlocutors clarified that both drugs, thrombolytics, aim to open a blood vessel, but that "metallysis" is given within 30 seconds, while "actylysis" is also given intravenously, but for an hour and a half. In doing so, they claim, precious time necessary for the care of patients after a heart attack is lost, who have to lose several hours in transport to the angio-room of the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG).
"Metalolysis has a significantly better effect in STEMI infarctions, where it is normally applied for the reason that it leads to the breakdown of the thrombus much earlier...", said one of the interlocutors and explained that this shortage affects the residents of Podgorica the least, given that KCCG it is the only one that has the possibility of emergency care for patients with heart attacks in the angio room.
KCCG replied that they have several ampoules of "metalize", but that they rarely use it because they have a superior method of treatment.
"Our patients with a potential indication for the use of the drug Metaliza are treated by the so-called primary coronary intervention, and that segment in KCCG functions exceptionally well. You can objectively inform the public that citizens can be carefree in this matter. We have several ampoules of the drug metaliza, but I don't remember the last time we were in a situation to use it, precisely because of the possibility of emergency treatment of such patients in the angio-room, using the above-mentioned method, 24 hours, 365 days a year", he replied to the "News ” Director of the Cardiology Clinic, Nikola Pavlović.
He explained that the importance of the work of the angio-room for the treatment of cardiology patients is best explained by statistical data.
"1 patients with acute myocardial infarction from all over Montenegro were successfully treated in the angio room this year, that is, from January 301 to today. This means that for these patients, the metallization drug was not needed," said Pavlović.
He also said that a total of 5.108 various intervention procedures were performed last year, and 1 from January 1 to September 4.401 of this year, of which 2.229 were coronary angiography, followed by 1.010 PTCA (stent insertion) and other intervention procedures.
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