HEALTH centres and hospitals are short of medicines because of miscommunication within the ministry.
Assistant Health Minister Veena Bhatnagar confirmed this yesterday after patients at health centres visited by The Fiji Times complained of medicine shortages.
“The ministry’s purchasing system is guided under the Government Procurement Regulations. At the same time it has its own mechanism of addressing shortfalls of supplies whereby national demand and supply are reviewed periodically to sustain the service,” Ms Bhatnagar said.
“The nature of the complaints are analysed appropriately to identify the process in the systems which needs strengthening. In this instance, miscommunication in ordering and distribution needs further improving to avoid stock-out issues at health facilities.”
While the Government is assisting people with its free medicine program, the availability of medicine is another issue with patients being advised to source the medicine from major hospitals or alternatively purchase them from private pharmacies.
Ian Fanifau, 22, visited the Nuffield Health Centre yesterday but was told to purchase terbinafine from a private pharmacy yesterday.
He told this newspaper he had only enough money to pay his bus fare to and from the clinic and did not have extra to purchase his medicine from a private pharmacy.
Jiuria Saverio of Samabula said it was the third time she had been to Nuffield Health Centre which still did not have terbinafine.
“All I’ve been told is to get it from CWM Hospital or any pharmacy,” Ms Saverio said.
Vijay Kumar, 61, of Kinoya, returned from the Valelevu Health Centre where he was told to buy aspirin from a pharmacy.
Paulini Vitukawalu, 51, who went for a blood sugar test at the Valelevu Health Centre was prescribed aspirin but was also told to purchase aspirin from a private pharmacy. A diabetic, Litea Driu of Nasole, was prescribed medication for her diabetes which she was able to procure at the Valelevu Health Centre. However, Ms Driu said she had to use her own money to purchase aspirin.
Ms Bhatnagar said the ministry had set aside $9million from its budget for the purchase of medicine, adding the Fiji Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Services (FPBS) team was responsible for dealing with shortages in supply.
She said the Government tender process only allowed for approved suppliers or from prequalified drug manufacturers.
“Apart from New Zealand and Australia, supplies also come from approved manufacturers in the UK, Malaysia, China Singapore, France, India, South Africa, Bangladesh. The Fiji Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Services ensures that quality and safety of medicine is maintained at all times.”
Ms Bhatnagar had publicly denied the shortage of medicines on local radio stations last week after this newspaper highlighted the issue.
“Sourcing of emergency supplies from New Zealand and Australia occurs when there is a shortfall and there is an urgent need from the health facilities.”
