Drug shortage problem

MOST psychiatric patients have been turned away from primary healthcare clinics without at least one of their medications, a survey has suggested.

“Although [this] is enough reason for concern, the prevalence of stockouts might be higher,” Charlene Sunkel and Marthé Viljoen of the South African Federation for Mental Health said.

Writing in this month’s edition of The Lancet Psychiatry, they said drug shortages threatened patients with relapse, loss of employment and social isolation.

Sunkel and Viljoen quoted from a survey of 109 patients carried out last year by the South African Mental Health Advocacy Movement.

“The service users indicated that the unavailability of medication had affected their lives in various ways,” they said. “They reported a noticeable effect on their mental wellbeing; 30% experienced a complete relapse resulting in hospitalisation, 30% experienced some symptoms but did not require hospitalisation, 17% experienced changes in sleeping patterns … and 23% experienced increased anxiety.”

The burden of mental, neurological and substance use disorders on public health increased by 41% between 1990 and 2010, “and is still increasing”, they said.

Health department spokesman Joe Maila did not respond to requests for comment.