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DRUGS SHORTAGE: 200 VACANCIES CREATED

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MBABANE - Investigations into the inconsistent availability of pharmaceutical and medical supplies in most health facilities have revealed a massive shortage of staff in the ministry of health.


An Inter-Ministerial Task Team appointed by Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini that looked into issues of health service delivery, found that at least 201 people needed to be employed for administrative, pharmacy, support and procurement functions.


The team also found that there was an inadequate number of drivers compared to the demand for their function and that there was poor maintenance and no replacement plan for available vehicles.
This is contained in the task team’s report, known as the Prince Sikelela Report, which was launched by the PM on Monday.


“The creation of new posts and adjustment of those recommended would be financed within the current budget of E16.07 million, which is about 2.2 per cent of the current wage bill for the Ministry of Health,” reads the report.
The vacancies include 165 pharmacy assistants, 10 pharmacists, six principal pharmacists, five senior pharmacy technicians and drivers.


It was the task team’s finding that the shortage of pharmaceutical personnel contributed in the poor management of pharmaceutical services and that “there are structural gaps, shortage in staffing levels and inadequate staff capacity”.
Currently, at strategic level, it was found that there was only one position responsible for all activities, including administration, regulation as well as professional, for the pharmacy function.


“The structure is not yet as fully-fledged as provided for in the development structure of government, yet the volume and scope of services is relatively very high and demanding.. The structure has only three levels yet it is supposed to have at least five levels. The current levels established are chief pharmacist, senior pharmacist and pharmacist. It should be noted that this does not meet the five-tier levels that makes up a cadre. There is no deputy chief and principal pharmacist level,” the report states. The task team went on to identify a gap in the inadequate supervision at clinic level as “there are no pharmacy personnel to do dispensing of medication and managing the stock levels”.


“Currently this function is undertaken by nurses, which increases the work load of the nurses who are also short staffed. It was found that there are two senior pharmacists who respectively supervise Manzini and Shiselweni facilities. The other two regions (Hhohho and Lubombo) have no senior pharmacists to supervise the facilities. It was further observed that Mbabane Government and RFM Hospitals are manned by Senior Pharmacists hence the two Senior Pharmacists, supervising the regional facilities do not supervise those Hospitals,” stated the report.

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