Surveillance cameras to curb drugs theft – PS
MBABANE- Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Health Dr. Simon Zwane is appealing to members of the public to assist with information that would help arrest the alleged theft of drugs in the country’ health institutions.
Zwane said that the suspected mysterious theft of drugs was very much disturbing, considering the tough economic times facing the country, and said it was making it difficult for the ministry to execute its mandatory obligations.
Confirming the challenge the ministry is facing, the PS noted that it had been difficult for the investigations into the theft of drugs in the health institutions to succeed as there had been little information coming from the public. He decried the little information provided by whistle-blowers or concerned members of the public and said because of this, their investigations could reach a dead end.
The country has been facing a major shortage of drugs in public health institutions and that has led to protest actions by workers in these establishments.
Mbabane and Pigg’s Peak Government Hospitals have experienced such protests where workers were complaining that they had no working tools and drugs were in short supply, therefore they were not able to service patients. “We have received such allegations but with little information to help us follow through and I am appealing to the members of the public to use the following contacts numbers; 2404 5554 or 7096 3221, so that we get to the bottom of this criminal act,” Zwane pleaded.
tAXPAYERS
He then lamented: “It is the Taxpayers who are expected to foot the bill and spend more towards the acquisition of drugs and we urge those who are involved in this criminal act to stop because the shortage of drugs ends up leading to deaths of people, which is very painful.”
Zwane was asked if there were any preventative measures which had been undertaken by the ministry to curb the theft of drugs in the country’s hospitals.
In response, he revealed that the Central Medical Stores (CMS) in Matsapha and the delivery vehicles would have surveillance cameras installed in them. He added that this challenge was at facility level, but the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital’s main pharmacy store has surveillance cameras and what seemed to be lacking was proper monitoring. He noted that other health institutions did not have the surveillance systems but they were considering installing them.
The PS was also asked if there were any means being made to make sure that the mushrooming of illegal pharmacies did not milk government dry through the theft of drugs. Zwane said that even though this were still allegations, the ministry had taken it upon itself to address the problem of mushrooming illegal pharmacies and also, through the regulatory unit, it would be established whether they were operating legally as well as ascertain their source of stock.
It has been alleged that the medical and drugs supplies are stolen from government facilities and sold to private pharmacy outlets that have mushroomed throughout the country. It has been established that almost half of the pharmacies in the country are operating illegally as they do not have registered pharmacists.
This is because the number of pharmacists registered with the Eswatini Medical and Dental Council (EMDC) is 279, while trading licences issued by the Senator Manqoba Khumalo-led Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade for pharmacies are 447. The Ministry of Health, through the Director of Health Services, Dr Vusi Magagula, said his ministry had only 279 registered pharmacists with the EMDC.
PhAMACiStS
The law stipulates that only a registered pharmacist should dispense medicines to the public. He said this when asked if there was a law which stipulates that each pharmacy has to have a qualified pharmacist. “No compromise there!” he said. This, he said, was in the Swaziland (Eswatini) Medicines Related Substances Control Act 9 of 2016 in Section 39.
Dr Magagula explained that for a prospective general medical practitioner to be registered with the EMDC, there was a need to apply proper vetting practices in regulating the medical cadre. He said there was a requirement for all medical graduates who applied for
registration as general medical practitioners to sit for a pre-registration examination (PRES).
He said the pre-registration examination was set to measure the basic medical knowledge and clinical competencies required to practice as a general medical practitioner in the Kingdom of Eswatini. Magagula emphasised that this procedure was a common international practice among medical regulatory authorities.
According to the EMDC website, it was established through the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act of 1970 and its mandate is to regulate the registration and licensing of health professionals, their professional conduct and practice as well as training, including continued development and internship training. “The ministry is investigating the hike in the number of pharmacies in the country and there had been a number of concerning issues noted,” Magagula said.
The number of pharmacies surpassing that of pharmacists came against the backdrop of insinuations that some medication was being stolen in government medical facilities and sold to pharmacies.
Some pharmacy personnel disclosed to this publication that there were people selling the medication to them. One of the pharmacists, who gave an interview under anonymity, admitted that there were instances where there were people who approached pharmacies to sell them medication.