Drug Shortage: A blame on govt’s negligence

As the country’s public hospitals continue to grapple with a drug crisis, it has emerged that state officials knew about the risk of a major drug shortage way back in October 2012, but did nothing to avert the crisis.

Nsanje district health officer Dr Medson Matchaya disclosed this at a stakeholders meeting on the current drug crisis called by President Joyce Banda in Lilongwe on Monday.

President Banda appeared shocked when she was told that Health Ministry officials ignored a call for an emergency procurement at that time.

“As many of my colleagues in here may remember, this drug shortage was foreseen during a stakeholders meeting in October last year. But when one raised this, was perceived as an opposition agent and no action could be taken then” Matchaya said.

There was a tense and an emotional atmosphere during contributions from the medical specialists and doctors including district health officers from across the country.

The medical personnel were frank in articulating problems dogging the delivery of quality health care in the country and top on the list was the current drug shortage whose lasting solution is yet to be traced.

It was also established during the meeting that it has taken the ministry of health up to 2 years to identify private medical suppliers. This bureaucracy is now costing lives of Malawians as no drug procurement was made within the said period.

To address the shortage, President Dr. Banda said the South African government and other International organizations among them World Vision Malawi will from this week start airlifting drugs and other medical supplies into the country.

“I am pleased to inform the nation that where I went (South Korea), international partners have pledged to airlift medicine into the country. As a matter of urgency South African government is sending us drugs beginning this week” she said.

Treasury has also released K 857 million, half of which will be used for emergency drug procurement and the other half will help district and central hospitals settle their outstanding debts with medical suppliers.

At the end of the meeting which was moderated by president Banda herself, a number of resolutions were unanimously agreed.

Among them; that public health facilities be decentralized to ensure efficiency.

That budgets to the health facilities be increased and calculated based on patient clientele in respective health facilities. And that the central medical trust procures drugs directly from manufacturers to cut on costs and spent in using private suppliers as it is the case now.

Meanwhile it is a matter of ‘wait and see’ as to when these recommendations aimed at improving public health care will be effected and bring change.