Building work at depot led to big drugs shortage – report

The health portfolio committee in Bhisho has found that the shortage of medicines in 480 primary healthcare facilities is being caused by building operations at the Mthatha pharmaceutical depot.

At the end of 2018, the committee visited several healthcare centres in an attempt to bring the legislature to the people.

The committee found that the efficiency of operations and the quality of the medicines and pharmaceutical supplies, storage, stocktaking, stock management and dispatch operations were being compromised by construction, causing a space shortage and a dust problem.

In the report, committee chair Mxolisi Dimaza said there was no proper labelling or stock-tagging in the warehouse to clearly demarcate storage areas, and to ensure inventory management and stock-picking efficiency.

“This increases risks of misplacement, mismanagement and loss of stock,” Dimaza said.

“There are also no [adequate] notices of safety restrictions for foot traffic and maximum allowable load per square metre as suggested by the engineers.”

Dimaza said the department of health had failed to implement any of the three recommendations made by the contracted architects regarding moving the depot before starting the project.

Its purpose is to restore the integrity of a slab between the warehouse’s two levels.

“Instead the department opted to run normal depot operations concurrently with the refurbishment without [assessing] the implications.”

Dimbaza said this had resulted in the department’s not realising the effects of:

● Project costs and time frames extended beyond initial projections;

● Costs of decanting to and additional courier services from the only other depot, in Port Elizabeth, were not considered;

● Stock holding by the Mthatha depot was reduced, which affected distribution to healthcare facilities; and

● The cost of five employees commuting weekly between Mthatha and Port Elizabeth was not budgeted for.

According to Dimaza’s report, not all the drugs kept in the warehouse were stored in suitably cool areas, as there were no temperature gauges except in the coldrooms.

The committee recommended that the department of health urgently ensure that the depot was properly demarcated, construction activities cor- doned off and stock tagged.

This would assist in the efficiency and effectiveness of depot operations and mitigate risks of mismanagement and theft of stock.

Provincial health spokesperson Lwandile Sicwetsha said his department was aware of the committee’s report and that MEC Helen Sauls-August had responded.

It was expected that the construction would be completed in February.

“A proposal is being considered to introduce a ‘push system’ for the distribution of medicines.

“This will ensure that a certain minimum list of essential medicines is supplied to all clinics.

“This will ensure that the most commonly used medicines are available in all clinics.

“The target for the department is to have the depot fully functional in the newly refurbished warehouse,” Sicwetsha said. –

Not all the drugs in the warehouse were stored in suitably cool areas