Parliament heard on Tuesday, August 7, that all hospitals including private facilities should provide free Tuberculosis drugs to patients.
Moses Kamabare, the General Manager National Medical stores, made the revelation while appearing before Parliament’s health committee to the shock of MP’s.
Kamabare said one of their achievements in the financial year 2010/2011 was the delivery of Tuberculosis medicines for first line and second line treatment as well as medicines for Multi-Drug Resistance TB across the country.
Sam Lyomoki, the committee chairman, asked if Ugandans should pay for the TB drugs to which Kamabare replied that nobody should pay for TB drugs even in private hospitals.
According to Kamabare, government and NMS provides free drugs to all health facilities including private facilities such as Rubaga, Mengo, Nsambya and International Hospital Kampala.
He called on all TB patients who have been charged for TB drugs to report to NMS so that action can be taken against the particular hospitals.
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Mbarara Municipality MP Dr. Medard Bitekyerezo said in May he got information from Ministry of Health that NMS was lying to the public about the availability of TB drugs.
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However, Kamabare wondered why the Ministry of Health is stating that in their records, there are 50,000 patients on TB drugs and allows the media to say there are 150,000 patients who need them.
He stated that there is medicine available for the 50,000 patients documented for the first line TB and Multi Drug resistant TB medicine including injectables, streptomycin the anti TB drug for children and masks.
Kamabare added that they have enough drugs for eight months and enough money to cover the remaining four months in this financial year.
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Kamabare explains that what previously caused the shortage of TB drugs was governments’ over on reliance development partners such as Global Fund. However, this was changed when NMS asked to be responsible for the procurement of the drugs. This he claims caused a misunderstanding with some Ministry of Health officials who were causing the shortage by requisitioning for nonexistent drugs.
According to the new Ministry of Health policy on Tuberculosis each referral hospital is expected to open up TB wards in order to acquire drugs. Mulago and Kitgum among other referral have opened up Mutli drug resistance TB wards apart from Mbarara hospital which had declined to do so.
Other regional referral hospitals expected to handle multi drig resistance TB patients include Fort Portal, Mbale, Gulu and Arua.
