MSD on the spot over Sh3.5bn expired drugs

By The Citizen Reporter

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Dar es Salaam. The Controller and Auditor General (CAG) has revealed the

existence of expired medicines worth Sh3.49 billion that could constitute a serious health hazard if they find their way into the market.

The CAG’s 2020/21 report also established that medical equipment worth Sh1.17 billion meant for public health facilities were not delivered despite having been paid for by local government authorities (LGAs).

The findings say the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Medical Store Department (MSD) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) requires the former to arrange for the disposal of expired, damaged, or obsolete health consumables and equipment.

The MoH should also be notified of the existence of any health consumables that have overstayed for more than ten months, according to the MoU.

“In the course of examination of registers for expired medical drugs, I established 46 LGAs had stocked expired medical drugs in a period ranging from three months to 20 years with a book value of Sh3.49 billion which were not disposed of as at the time of the audit,” says the CAG report.

According to the report, expired drugs might have resulted from the procurement or receipt of medicines with a relatively short shelf life from MSD and lack of a systematic arrangement of stocks meant to ensure that drugs are issued on the first in, first out (Fifo) basis.

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“Storage of expired drugs, without disposal, might cause harm to the public if they are used accidentally or land in the hands of unscrupulous individuals,” warns the report of the watchdog institution.

Furthermore, the report says 14 LGAs had expired drugs valued at Sh7.334 billion in 2018/19.

The number of errant LGAs increased to 31 in 2019/20 with expired drugs worth Sh1,537 billion before climbing to 46 LGAs in 2020/21 with expired drugs worth Sh3.49 billion.

“The above trend shows that the number of LGAs with expired drugs has been increasing since the financial year 2018/19, which implies that previous years’ audit recommendations had not been taken into account by respective LGAs,” the report says.

Regarding the Sh1.17 billion medicines and medical supplies that had been paid for, but that were not delivered, the report says MSD failed to make deliveries as of June 30, 2021.

It adds that failure to deliver the medicines and medical equipment adversely affects the ability of health facilities to provide quality health services to the community.

The report names LGAs with respective payments made in brackets as Mbinga DC (Sh422.55 million); Mbinga TC (Sh304.79 million); Longido DC (Sh184.59 million); Songea MC (Sh113.11 million) and Mwanza CC (Sh70.23 million).

Others are Kahama MC (Sh31.65 million); Mpanda DC (Sh24.47 million); Handeni TC (Sh15.74 million and Mkinga DC (Sh1.34 million).

Following identified challenges, the CAG urges LGAs found with expired drugs, to ensure the drugs are disposed in line with the requirements of the laws and review their optimum re-order levels,” reads the document.

“I recommend that the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) to design strategies which will ensure medicines and medical equipment are delivered to respective LGAs by the MSD to enhance sustainability of service delivery by health facilities,” the report says.