Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, has indicated that the revised drug procurement process will officially be implemented next week.
Starting on Monday, June 26, 2017, the Ministry will roll out the revised Drug Procurement Plan, beginning with the “hiring and training of procurement and warehouse staff”, Minister Lawrence said.
“This is an ongoing process…We are going to review it and we are going to look at the loopholes and the gaps,” which will be addressed.
This new procurement process will bring closure to the ongoing drug shortage issue countrywide. Minister Lawrence explained that, in the past, the procurement and the ordering of drugs were not properly forecasted or catered to. The Ministry of Public Health is actively working to ensure that the first supply of drugs under this new procurement system will be here by September, 2017.
According to a GINA report, Minister Lawrence also explained that, due to poor management of human and financial resources in the past, many drugs were left to be expired. During a recent visit to health facilities in Region Six, the minister highlighted that there is need for better resource management within the Public Health sector.
Space has to be made at the varying hospitals and clinics to accommodate the new supply of drugs by September 2017. In the month of July, the next phase of the procurement process will be to visit regional hospitals and clinics to remove expired drugs.
Minister Lawrence said the Ministry is aiming to rid the system of all expired drugs by year end.
