The Ministry of Health is promoting a strategy that aims to generate actions and regulations to guarantee the safe use of fentanyl in the country and prevent the abuse of this substance.
Fentanyl is a strong pain reliever, similar to morphine. Its use is allowed in Costa Rica in the form of an injectable or patch, but only with a doctor’s prescription. Using it incorrectly, even in small amounts, can cause death.
Among the actions sought are training police forces so that they know how to handle cases that involve drugs such as fentanyl. Educate through a communication campaign the student population and the general population with information related to drug consumption, promoting healthy lifestyles and prevention of risks associated with substance abuse.
Connecting security systems
Work is being done on connecting systems, including digital prescription in public and private health services to track records of medications, psychotropics and narcotics.
Consolidate the Directorate for the Regulation of Products of Health Interest into a National Regulatory Authority for Products of Health Interest within the Ministry of Health.
Optimize and reinforce skills
Optimize and reinforce skills related to the certification of good practices in the storage and distribution of medicines, narcotics and psychotropics. Likewise, develop a unified procedure to verify compliance with the regulations established in inventory control.
The aim is to update decrees in order to specify the conditions and requirements that all hospital and community pharmacies must meet in order to obtain authorization from the Ministry of Health.
It is important to mention that in other countries such as the United States, this analgesic is combined with Xylazine, a veterinary medicine, such a combination is what causes the so-called “zombie effect” in those who consume it, for that reason, it is intended to support the implementation of the digital prescription system that comes to the precision and accessibility of medication prescription in SENASA.
This inter-institutional strategy involves the Ministry of Public Security, Drug Control Police, Directorate of Intelligence and Security, Costa Rican Institute on Drugs, Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), Institute on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (IAFA), National Insurance Institute, National Environmental Health Service (SENASA), Firefighters, Ministry of Communication, Ministry of Public Education, and communication offices of public institutions.
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Guillermo Agudelo
