MSD has ample drug stock as shortage alarm trashed

HILDA MHAGAMA

Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Mpoki Ulisubisya

THERE is enough stock of medicine in the country, contrary to an alarm raised by a local advocacy organisation, the government has said.

A statement released in Dar es Salam yesterday showed that as of yesterday, availability of drugs at the Medical Stores Department (MSD) was equivalent to 53 per cent, out of which the 71 mostly needed out of 135 types of essential drugs were available.

The stock information said despite the availability of drugs will be improved further in October, this year, mainly as MSD would start using framework contracts to improve faster access to drugs whenever required and based on the funds’ availability.

The Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Mpoki Ulisubisya, gave the assurance in Dar es Salaam yesterday, few days after an advocacy organisation, Sikika, raised the alarm over what it said was inadequate allocation of funds for MSD.

Dr Ulisubisya said the government was committed to improving the availability of essential medicines in the country for which a consignment of other essential medicines have been ordered.

“The government had already ordered 137,000 units of paracetamol tablets from a local manufacturer and 10,000 units of the painkiller had already been delivered to MSD and distributed,” he noted.

Expounding further, he said other drugs on demand were antibiotics and painkillers (Ciprofloxacin, Cetftriaxone, Diclofenac, Cotrimoxazole and Metronidazole), which has already been delivered to all MSD regional offices ready to be distributed to health centres in the country.

Moreover, Dr Ulisubisya said that next week (October 2), the government will receive consignment of vaccines to address the countrywide shortage.

The vaccines, which are in shortage, include Bacillus Calmette- Guérin (BCG), oral polio vaccine (OPV) and Tetanus Toxid (TT). BCG is primarily used to prevent the infants from contracting Tuberculosis, while OPV and TT are used to prevent poliomyelitis and tetanus respectively.

The PS further told reporters that MSD were responsible to supply medicine to hospitals and health centres that have sent in their applications/orders and not otherwise.