DRUGS RUN OUT AT MACHA HOSPITAL?
GOVERNMENTsource has said.
But Southern Province provincial health director Monze Namani in a separate interview refuted the allegations, stating that maybe it was only specific drugs which were not in stock.
Macha is a district level hospital in a remote area of Choma district and carters for a population of about 150,000 people.
It was believed that people in the area were covering about 70 km to access healthcare services in Choma town, the provincial headquarters.
The source said in an interview yesterday said the hospital had run out of drug stocks for a month now.
Poor people in the area were finding it difficult to walk long distances to access health care services, the source said.
“As we speak now, the district hospital has no medicine, it has run out of the stock for a month and nothing has been done to cushion this challenge at the hospital.
“I have been sick for the past four days now, I tried to force myself to go to the hospital but to my surprise I was told the hospital did have any medicine. This is very worrying especially that many people are really suffering because they are unable to find money to access health care in Choma (town),” the source said.
The source said that many people were being referred to Choma hospital but others were unable to travel there because they lacked resources.
Dr Namani said that it was not possible for the entire hospital to run out of all drugs.
“It is not possible that the entire hospital can run out of the drugs, maybe it is only specific drugs that have run out, let the informer say the specific drug not in stock so that it can be taken there,” Dr Namani said.
Several attempts to contact Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya and the ministry’s Head of Media Relations Stanslous Ngosa failed as their phones went unanswered by press time.