Islamabad: A large region of Pakistan is facing shortage in essential supply of emergency medicines and surgical items at a time when the country is also battling a financial crisis.

Due to a number of critical factors, including refusal of commercial banks to issue new Letters of Credit (LCs) on account of a shortage of US dollars, the economic crisis has also not spared drug companies that are struggling to maintain stocks of essential life-saving drugs crucial to keep many alive, reports The Express Tribune.

With experts warning of the economy sinking into near-paralysis, top pharmaceutical companies are scrambling to acquire raw materials to manufacture drugs while being forced to slash production as patients suffer in hospitals, sources told the newspaper.

Faced with chronic shortages of medical equipment and anaesthetics, doctors at major hospitals are even not performing surgeries.

The crisis comes as the country’s foreign exchange reserves drop to an eight-year low of $4.3 billion and talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) hang in balance, raising alarms that the country might end up in bankruptcy, the newspaper reported.

As a result, the country cannot pay for basic imports like medicine and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for locally-produced medicines, several vaccines, immunoglobulins and biological products for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.

The operation theatres are left with less than a two-week stock of anaesthetics which is extremely important for performing highly sensitive surgeries, including heart, cancer, kidney and abdominal operations.

Besides, the pharmaceutical manufacturers are left with a raw material that will last only for four to five weeks.