Theft of drugs in government hospitals continues despite providing new labelling system

Submitted by AkotJanetNyeko (AkotJanetNyeko) about 10 months ago

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The government has recently made efforts to make sure the medicines from public health facilities and hospitals are uniquely labeled so that one can identify them as drugs to be distributed freely, but this has not helped solve the problem.

Mini clinics have still sold drugs meant to be distributed freely to the population, both openly and undercover, with so called 'agents' directing people to these drug shops.

In Uganda, according to Dr Francis Runumi, 23 per cent of people’s income is spent on health care. Self medication or treatment by semi-literate, unqualified medical personnel with medicines procured from unlicensed clinics, unclear sources and smuggled drugs which are untested by regulatory bodies are all common. They are used in the treatment of ilnesses like malaria, asthma and fever but can cause drug resistance, dermatitis and damage of internal organs.

A total of 650 government-labeled drugs read 'Government of Uganda: Not for sale' including anti-malarial Lumartem and Coartem tablets (one of the best drugs in the treatment of malaria and sold in the open market at between $1 and $7 which is unaffordable to a common rural Ugandan) were recently impounded in a clinic in Musoke Domiciliar in Ntinda a Kampala suburb.

The monitoring unit were tipped off by a patient who had bought the drugs from a clinic even though they are meant to be given free of charge. Imeda Musoke, the proprietor of the clinic, said she was given the drugs from Kiswa Health Centre but Molly Businge, a nursing officer at Kiswa, denied issuing the drugs to Musoke drug shop on September 22nd this year.

No sign was put outside the clinic to indicate it was providing free drugs to the public, as is required. The conditions for the storage of the drugs was below standard making the clinic unable to meet the conditions for accreditation to supply drugs to the population. Other clinics without the sign for free drugs were discovered, including the City Hall Clinic.

In Uganda it is difficult for the government to provide all the basic medicines required by its citizens and yet the few drugs that are available, are labeled but sold anyway.

It is difficult but vital to monitor what drugs are being administered or what amount of stolen drugs are left to expire at medical stores while women and children are dying everyday because they are denied access to essential drugs.

Keywords: Anti-malarial drugs government of Uganda Labeled Public health facilities