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$600M in expired drugs sent back from regions to Central Govt. last year

Mar 10, 2016 News

…officials to discuss best procurement practices
Amidst a reported shortage of drugs at Government-owned hospitals earlier this year, the Materials Management Unit (MMU) is expected to engage in discussions with Regional Health Officers (RHOs) on good medical supplies’ procurement practices.
These include requesting the correct quantity of drugs to suit the needs of the respective regions.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud, informed Hinterland RHOs about this undertaking during a recent meeting.
He pointed out that there should be no wastage, nor shortage of medical supplies, if best practices are adopted. The CMO also noted that transportation of these supplies is no longer a problem in hinterland communities.
Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, also touched on the issue during the meeting. The Minister noted that in 2014, the previous administration had to dump $84M in expired drugs, while in 2015 the APNU+AFC government “sent back $600M in drugs from the regions to Central Government.”
He explained further, “This money was put back into the consolidated fund.”
Minister Norton told the Government Information Agency (GINA) last week that late requests could be the cause for the alleged shortage of medical supplies at some health care facilities.
During the RHO meeting, Permanent Secretary, Public Health Ministry, Trevor Thomas noted that “there may be a shortage of drugs at one facility but not in a region, because one place might have a shortage, while another might have the same drugs in excess (quantity).”
He added that the facilities have to manage their resources better.  The PS advised that before saying there is a shortage of drugs at a facility, management should check with the others in the region.
The Ministry’s new procurement system will see each region receiving an allocation for drugs and medical supplies. However, an agreed sum will be returned to the Ministry along with a list of required drugs, which will then be pooled and used for the procurement of the drugs.

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