Shortage
of Medicines in Hospitals and Health Centres retards Health Care
Despite government’s
efforts to improve health service delivery, the facilities still grapple with
inadequate and irregular drug supplies or no drugs at all sometimes. This has consequences
on the whole health sector and its relevance to the citizens. In 2013/2014
financial year, the government under the health sector will focus on reducing
morbidity and mortality from the major causes of ill health and premature death
and to reduce the disparities in the provision of health services. To achieve
this, a number of interventions have been proposed, some of which include;
recruitment of key health personnel to ensure adequate staffing, provision of
staff housing for health workers with special attention to under-served areas
and all this works hand in hand with the adequate and regular supply of
essential drugs in the hospitals and health centres around the country. The Health
sector shares proportion of the national budget at 7.4% in the starting 2013/14
FY reducing from 7.8% in 2012/13, which is far below the Abuja declaration
target of 15%.
Uganda Debt Network
whose niche is in monitoring of Government Programmes to ensure prudent service
delivery which is transparent reaching the intended beneficiaries in Uganda,
visited some health centres as a sample and got alarming discoveries in
relation to lack of or inadequate of drugs in Health centres which makes health
service irrelevant to the wanainchi. Monitoring activities were carried out in
Mulago Hospital – Kamuli District,
Namwendwa Health Centre (HC) IV, Kinawampere HC II, Kinu HC II, Bubago
HC II, Nabilama HC II, Balawoli HC IV, Kasolwe HC II, Namaira HC II and Kibuye HC II. These health facilities had
something in common which was lack of essential drugs retarding them to deliver
optimally to the people.
In
Mulago Hospital, Kamuli Town Council The
hospital receives an average number of 400 patients per day from Monday to
Friday. However, the delayed
delivery of drugs to the hospital makes it hard to have services delivered
adequately. The Anti-Retroviral
Treatment Department has not received drugs since February although the
Department is supposed to receive drugs every quarter. For instance 70 patients
who were previously receiving “daption”, a drug that is given to those who are
allergic to Septrin have become frustrated and no longer check whether the drug
was received by the hospital for distribution apart from about 15 patients who
constantly check. Instead the hospital has stocked more malaria drugs yet HIV/Aids
prevalence is high in the district. HIV/Aids patients are therefore at risk of
developing resistance to ARVs when the drugs are not taken regularly. This
worsens their medical condition and response to further treatment. In Balawoli HC IV in Balawoli Sub County there
poor storage of drugs is on the rise. The drug store is too small creating high
chances of drugs getting contaminated and turning them poisonous to patients.
In Namaira HC II, there has been delayed
delivery of drugs too. The HC has
not received HIV /Aids prevention drugs, testing kits and other essential drugs
like quinine since February 2013. The lack of operational materials/drugs could
cause death of patients
It
should be noted that inadequate or lack of essential drugs in Health Centres,
has eventual consequences one of them being death and constant negligence of
medical staff to deliver on their duties.
Some health workers are reluctant and yet patients need their quick
attention. A young lady of 19yrs (Nakirya Halima) from Butansi Sub County,
Naluwoli Parish who had given birth to twins in April 2013 was not attended to
and yet she was in a very critical condition. This happened even after Money,
Jik and OMO which the medical staff asked for was provided by the care taker
(mother – Nabirye). The mother of this lady was advised by other patients in
the ward to use a local herb which she applied to save the life of her
daughter. After 3days, they left the hospital without proper medical attention.
Negligence by medical staff due to lack of drugs can lead to the death of a
patient if not discouraged.
Nabirye applying herbs on Nakirya
Halima after delivery of twins in Mulago Hospital, Kamuli district in April
2013. Medical staff neglected providing after birth services due to lack of
medicine.
It’s
the duty of the Districts in question to advocate for timely delivery of
drugs by the Ministry of Health to the Health Centres. The district leadership
together with the hospital administration should take this as a matter of
urgency and set penalties for medical staff who neglect patients at all costs
and there should be a reporting mechanism that can be shared with the Ministry
of Health to ensure sufficient services are accessible and easily delivered to
the intended beneficiaries.
The
Government too through Ministry of Health should ensure that there is timely
delivery of essential drugs to Health Centres and Hospitals to reduce on the
dangers that can come up as a result of insufficient drugs like death,
especially in hard to reach areas. Through this, Government will be able to
achieve its target for this financial year 2013/14 which focuses on reducing
morbidity and mortality.
No comments:
Post a Comment