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Central Province Minister Obviuos Mwaliteta
Government says the Medical Stores Limited has enough medical supplies and that the reported shortages of drugs in some health facilities in the country are artificial.
Health Deputy Minister Chitalu Chilufya who toured Medical Stores Limited in Lusaka on Thursday said there were enough stocks which needed to be shipped to needy health facilities.
He said it was sad to see the fully stocked warehouse of drugs awaiting orders when some health facilities were reportedly giving patients prescriptions for even simple drugs like Panado.
Dr Chilufya has since directed officers in the supply chain to up their game in making sure that the drugs did not run out of supply in health facilities.
“We are not going to tolerate a situation where people are given prescriptions to buy drugs when government has procured enough drugs for them. There is no shortage of drugs, what is actually there is shortage of space to store the drugs,” he said.
Dr Chilufya said poor leadership in the supply chain had led to some reported artificial shortage; a situation that he says would not be condoned by government.
He said his office had received reports from Mansa General Hospital that the aforementioned hospital had run out of drugs to the extent of people only receiving prescriptions to buy basic drugs like Panado.
He said government had put in place a workable mechanism where emergency order of drugs from Medical Stores could be made as the medical centres wait for the routine supply.
Medical Stores Limited, director for pharmaceutical, Anne Zulu said in order for them to operate effectively, the company had opened up regional hubs in most parts of the country.
“The opening of regional hubs means we will be able to distribute drugs to the lowest medical facilities which are away from the districts,” she said.
The fact is natural or not, there are no drugs in those identified health institutions. Your job is to put up mechanisms to counter that shortage, not to explain. Tell us afterwards what you have achieved when the artificial or natural shortage ends. Be pragmatic for once in your lives!