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A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 30 december 2023

Mexican president inaugurates centralized ‘super pharmacy’ to

supply medicines to all of Mexico

By MARIA VERZA credit, he mounted a ma-
Associated Press jor effort to obtain COVID
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexi- vaccines in 2021, using the
co’s president is inaugurat- armed forces to distribute
ing a ‘super pharmacy’ in a them and volunteers to
bid to end the woes of pa- help apply them, and by
tients throughout the coun- the end of that year just
try who are often told they about anybody in Mexico
need a specific medicine who wanted a vaccine got
but the hospital in question one, for free.
doesn’t have it. But trying to replicate that
President Andrés Manuel model of centralized gov-
López Obrador’s solution ernment purchasing and
was to outfit a big ware- army distribution on a na-
house on the outskirts of tional scale for thousands
Mexico City to centralize a of medications is not the
supply and send it to hospi- same, according to Mau-
tals throughout the country. ricio Rodríguez, a professor
“The pharmacy is going to at the School of Medicine
be big, big, big, and it is at Mexico’s National Au-
going to have all the medi- tonomous University.
cations that are used in the “This is crazy,” said Rodrí-
heath system,” López Ob- guez, noting the govern-
rador said Friday. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador greets supporters as he arrives to a ceremony ment is opening the cen-
The idea is that a hospital in to launch a “mega-pharmacy” warehouse in Huehuetoca, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 29, 2023. tralized warehouse without
rural Mexico can put in an Associated Press answering how the system
order for a certain medica- them, and bad at distribut- isn’t any chemotherapy, there is no shortage of mor- will operate, especially for
tion, which will be stored at ing them. Extreme central- treatment or medicines, phine, doctors are advised urgently-needed medica-
the huge 430,000 square- ization also hasn’t helped have some empathy and to draw a single dose from tions. He noted that con-
foot (40,000 square meter) Mexico much in the past in sensitivity.” a vial and throw the re- centrating all the drugs
Mexico City warehouse. many areas. The problems have killed mainder out. But Mexico at one site increases risks,
The armed forces, or the The most visible face of this otherwise healthy people. can’t do that. That has led and could sideline some
government-run pharma- problem are the parents of Because Mexico has had to contamination of the vi- already-existing distribution
ceutical company Birmex, children with cancer, who problems in obtaining als, leading to outbreaks of systems.
will then ship the drugs out frequently stage protests enough morphine, anes- injection-induced menin- Many of the problems pre-
by land, sea or air “within because they say that in thesiologists in Mexico have gitis in two Mexican states date López Obrador, who
24 to 48 hours,” López Ob- recent years chemother- had to carry around their that have killed dozens took office in late 2018.
rador pledged. apy and other drugs have own vials of the sedative, of people, some of them For decades, there have
The question is whether been impossible to obtain. drawing multiple doses Americans who sought been scandals involving
Mexico can overcome its Desperate parents blocked out of a single vial for rou- treatment at clinics in the of millions of dollars worth
history of being bad at reg- traffic at the Mexico City tine procedures like spinal border city of Matamoros, of medicines going out-
ulating the pharmaceuti- airport last year, holding up blocks during births. across from Brownsville, of-date at warehouses
cal industry, bad at buying a banner reading: “There In the United States, where Texas. To López Obrador’s while hospitals couldn’t get
medicines, bad at storing them.q

France heightens security for New Year’s Eve, with 90,000 police

officers to be mobilized

PARIS (AP) — Security will is happening in Israel and highlighted when a tourist
be tight across France on Palestine,” referring to the was killed in a knife attack
New Year’s Eve, with 90,000 Israel-Hamas war. near the Eiffel Tower on
law enforcement officers Darmanin said that police Dec. 2. Large-scale attacks
set to be deployed, do- for the first time will be able such as that at the Bata-
mestic intelligence chief to use drones as part of se- clan in 2015, when Islamic
Céline Berthon said Friday. curity work, and that tens extremists invaded the mu-
Of those, 6,000 will be in of thousands of firefighters sic hall and shot up cafe
Paris, where French Inte- and 5,000 soldiers would terraces, killing 130 people
rior Minister Gerald Dar- also be deployed. also loom in memory.
manin said over 1.5 million New Year’s Eve celebra- The knife attack raised con-
people are expected to tions in Paris will center on cern in France and abroad
attend celebrations on the the 2024 Paris Olympic about security for the
Champs-Elysees. Games, including DJ sets, Games that begin July 26,
Speaking at a press con- fireworks and video projec- in just under seven months.
ference, Darmanin cited a tions on the Arc de Triom- But law enforcement offi-
“very high terrorist threat” phe. The security challenge cials appear eager to show Riot police officers patrol near the Eiffel Tower Monday, Dec.
30, 2019 in Paris, two days before New Year’s Day.
because, in part, of “what ahead of the Olympics was off a security-ready Paris.q Associated Press