Africa-Press – Uganda. Masafu Hospital and Busia Health Center IV, which are the two biggest government health facilities in Busia District, have run out of essential medicines and supplies.
The essential medicines include painkillers, antibiotics, and intravenous fluids. The health supplies include syringes, cannulas, gloves, stitches, and cotton wool.
The stockout, which is being attributed to the alleged irregular deliveries of drugs to the district by National Medical Stores (NMS), is forcing patients seeking treatment at the facilities to dig into their pockets to buy drugs and health supplies.
Ms Rose Anyango, who suffered a snake bite last Friday and was admitted to the female ward of Masafu Hospital, said she has had to buy all the medicines for her treatment from outside.
“My health was deteriorating very fast yet the facility did not have drugs for my treatment until my family went to Busia Town and bought them,” Ms Anyango said at the weekend, adding that she spent close to Shs200,000 on her week-long treatment.
Mr Lucas Hamirye from one of the churches, said he, too, has had to buy medicine from outside and other basics such as gloves to have his patients treated.
“This is a government facility. When we come here, we expect to get free treatment, but we are being told to buy medicine and other supplies, which is disturbing,” Mr Hamirye said.
Dr Amon Bwambale, the in-charge of Masafu Hospital, said they have run short of essential medicine and health supplies. He added that they last received supplies from National Medical Stores (NMS) last October and since then, they have missed two delivery schedules.
“We have not received supplies for November, December, January, and are waiting for February supplies,” he said.
At Busia Health Centre IV, authorities said it is nearly four months since the last supplies were delivered by NMS, according to the in-charge, Dr Yusuf Lule.
“We have run out of intravenous fluids, antibiotics, painkillers, syringes, cannulas, gloves, and cotton wool, among other supplies,” he said.
However, Dr Mathias Wabwire Panyako, the Busia District health officer, said Masafu Hospital has a schedule to get supplies every month, while Busia Health Centre IV receives supplies every two months.
“Because of the delay in deliveries, both facilities have run out of key drugs and supplies, which is affecting health service delivery. A medical worker must have gloves, the people seeking operations have to buy stitches, yet antibiotics, both tablets and injectable, have run out of stock,” Dr Wabwire said.
Response
The NMS Spokesperson, Ms Sheila Nduhukire, said last October, they delivered drugs for two cycles of supplies but promised to crosscheck for facts and revert, which she had not done by the time of filing this story.
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