Drug shortage issue is complex: Health PS

 

The Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services says it is a complex situation procuring drug orders because the Ministry is dealing with a number of different suppliers outside the country.

Dr Tenneth Dalipanda was explaining the delay for the country’s drugs, the reason behind the current drug shortage at the National Referral Hospital and clinics around the country.

He said the suppliers often wait until they receive the list of orders before they start producing the drugs.

“Out of date stocks will be out of date before it arrives here, it is when they receive our orders will they manufacture the drugs,” he said.

“We also faced the same issue last year, but we hope that by September everything will return to normal.”

The procurement process to the delivery of orders normally takes six months, but the Solomon Islands’ orders for 2018 took a long time to conclude with the final orders awarded to suppliers only in April this year.

The orders will arrive in August and September this year.

Mr Dalipanda said, to avoid similar problems, the Ministry had commenced the 2019 drug procurement process last month in June.

Supplies were expected to be in the country by April 2019.

Meanwhile, the drug shortage in the country is likely to affect the provision of late health services offered at Kukum Clinic in Honiara.

HCC’s Director of Nursing Mr Harvest Miapule said the new system has been quite successful since it began early this year.

SIBC News understands, HCC is planing to extend the late health services to Rove and Pikinini Clinic at Mataniko in New China Town soon.

Director of Urban and Medical Services at the Honiara City Council, Dr. Sarah Hopkins over the weekend told SIBC News, the shortage of certain injectables or dilutents for certain treatment is not limited to Honiara City Clinics adding, the responsible authorities are doing their best to rectify the situation.

By: Kikiva Tuni.