The new delivery chain for medical supplies has crippled operations in health units around the country.
The ministry of health in an effort to streamline delays in medical supplies empowered each hospital to purchase drugs directly from National Medical Stores-NMS.
The new system has however led to increase in drug stock out in health units especially those that are below health center four.
In most cases what the health centers order for is not what they receive from National Medical Stores. Namakwekwe Health center three in Mbale is one of the health centers faced with the problem.
Justine Auma, the officer in charge of Namakwekwe Health Center III says the stock out at the unit is as a result of getting wrong supplies. She explains that they order for drugs but end up receiving wrong supplies when deliveries are made by National Medical Stores.
She says the unit orders for essential drugs like those for treating malaria and antibiotics but in the end they are supplied with panadols and magnesium which are not essential.
The complications in the supply chain have also affected district and regional referral hospitals.
Bududa Hospital, in Bududa district could not carryout operations because of lack of equipments to use in the theatre.
Dr. Godfrey Mulekwa, the Medical Superintendent of Bududa Hospital, says they couldn’t operate patients because National Medical Stores-NMS had since May this year not supplied items that are used in the theatre.
Mulekwa explains the hospital only got the items last Friday. Mbale regional hospital is also affected by the supply chain.
David Obol the Senior Administrator there says the hospital has been getting other supplies apart from theatre items which he says sometimes gets irregular supplies.
An official from the sales department of National Medical Stores who declined to reveal her identity says they only supply what the hospitals have ordered and paid for.
She however admitted that the problem exists in health center twos and threes because ministry of health orders for them.
# # #
