Relief as much-needed insulin stock arrives

MBABANE – After four confirmed deaths due to shortage of insulin since December 2022, news from the Ministry of Health that the much-needed diabetes medication has arrived, brought relief.

Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi yesterday announced an assurance to the public of the improvement in the medicine stock situation at the Mbabane Government Hospital and other government hospitals in general.

The minister said while it wa true that the ministry had been experiencing a lot of medicines stock outs in the past months, the situation was being resolved and the situation on the ground had improved remarkably.

“Anti-diabetic medicines like insulin are now available in our health facilities and so are most of our anti-hypertensive first line medicines. Medicines used in our theatres have also been restored and so are pain management medicines and some of the essential medicines,” Nkosi said.

REPLENISHED

She stated that some hospitals will run out of shelves, as they are used, and these can be replenished from the Central Medical Stores or other facilities, as the country continues to receive supplies.

“The ministry would like to thank the public for the continued support as well as our healthcare workers for continuing to work relentlessly to serve the nation. It is the ministry’s endeavour to improve patient outcomes and to ensure a healthy nation at all times,” the minister said.

Following these news, Eswatini Diabetes Association Director, Dumisile Mavuso, said they were grateful to government as this stock would help sustain those in need of the medication.

“What we can ask for now from government is sustenance, because we have lost a lot of lives already because of the shortage. There are four deaths that I can confirm and these include two young people aged nine and 11, as well as two adults aged 54 and 60,” she said.

Mavuso said one of those who died was a woman who went to hospital on a Friday, but found that there was no insulin and she passed away on the Monday.

“I also had to take from my personal stock and give to three other people who were in dire need of the medication. I would now have to go and re-stock,” she said.

Mavuso said during the shortage in public hospitals, they had to direct patients to go to The Luke Commission at Sidvokodvo, where the medicine was available.

AVAILABILITY

“We also directed those in need of the medication to go to Clicks Stores, where there was insulin availability but we soon learnt that these outlets had also run out of stock and this presented us with further challenges,” the director said.

The Times of Eswatini daily newspaper has previously reported that some people on insulin, who are living with diabetes, were forced to part with E1 500 to get Actraphane, which comes in pen-injections.

At that time, this was reportedly the only available medication at pharmaceuticals, while the country’s public hospitals were without the medication for months.

Mavuso confirmed that three people had died, and said this had prompted the association to reach out for help and received a positive response from the Eswatini Royal Insurance Corporation (ESRIC). Mavuso said they wrote a letter to ESRIC, seeking assistance for the purchasing of insulin from a different supplier from government.

The director said in response, ESRIC gave them the sponsorship and they bought the medication, which was then handed over to government.