MEDICAL DRUGS THEFT: NO LAW TO DEAL WITH CULPRITS

MANZINI – As government is investigating the shortage of drugs, there is no law to specifically deal with the perpetrators who steal drugs in public health facilities.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Health, Lizzie Nkosi, when asked about the unaccounted for medical drugs and pharmaceuticals in hospitals. She said the ministry was pinning its hopes on the Pharmacy Bill, which would deal specifically with those found to be contributing to the recurrent shortage of medical drugs and pharmaceuticals. Nkosi said claiming that medication was not stolen would be untruthful. She said she was hopeful that the Bill would pass in Parliament so that it could deal with some of the causes of the perennial shortage of medical drugs and pharmaceuticals. Nkosi said the ministry had a great system at the Central Medical Stores (CMS), which accounted for drugs; however, the challenge was once the medication was distributed to health facilities, it was hard to monitor.

Quantified

The minister said the CMS was audited annually and the unaccounted for drugs quantified. She said this was then published in the AG’s report. She said investigations were initiated to establish the challenge. She said the Auditor General (AG), Timothy Matsebula, recently had another audit which quantified cumulative losses, which included the obsolete drugs and donated drugs that were rendered unsuitable for use by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Some of the drugs, the minister said, were those that had been donated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nkosi said the donors were convinced that they (drugs) would help in the fight against the pandemic; however, WHO said they should be discarded. The minister said at the moment, there were personnel within the ministry who were caught stealing medication and due to the current legislation, these individuals were suspended; but continued to draw salaries monthly.

Suspended

“They are suspended instead of being in jail for stealing drugs, which has serious consequences on the public health system,” the minister said. She said the Pharmacy Bill would assist the ministry in cleaning up the health sector as it would criminalise being found with medication without a licence. Nkosi said it would also assist in arresting people who shall be found in possession of medication without a licence. This, she said, would assist in dealing with the mushrooming pharmacies in the country. In the absence of this law, this publication has gathered that over E150 million drugs are unaccounted for in public health facilities. This figure was said to be a projection of all public health facilities, following an audit which was instituted by the AG, Timothy Matsebula.

Impeccable sources have claimed that in two years, there was missing stock of medicines or unaccounted for pharmaceuticals amounting to E18.79 million. It was gathered that about a fraction of the amount was missing stock from the CMS, amounting to over E5.9 million. This stock was gathered to have been unaccounted for in 2021 and this year. The sources further claimed that various health facilities had unaccounted for stock of medical drugs and pharmaceuticals. This publication recently reported that at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital, medical drugs worth over E250 000 had gone missing. The loss at RFM Hospital was said to be a discovery made during the audit by Matsebula.

Uncovered

It is worth noting that this publication has recently reported that there were more pharmacies than registered pharmacists with the Eswatini Medical and Dental Council. This was uncovered by this publication in an independent investigation, which also the Ministry of Health made similar findings in its survey. Meanwhile, the minister said: “The hike in the number of unaccounted for drugs shall be solved by the Pharmacy Bill, which shall be inclusive of the criminal aspect to deal with those found stealing pharmaceuticals in public health facilities.”

Nkosi said instead of individuals being suspended from work, the Bill would seek that they be arrested and subsequently their services terminated from the civil service for stealing. She said at the moment, those found to be in possession of pharmaceuticals yet they were not qualified to dispense them were able to pay an admission of guilt; however, with the new legislation, these individuals would be arrested and the pharmaceuticals in their possession would be destroyed. Nkosi said the ministry was pinning its hopes on this Bill. It is worth noting that this publication recently reported that the ‘disappearance’ of the drugs was caused by some missing stock cards, which had the transactions.

The proposed Pharmacy Bill No. 8 of 2021 states that the sale of pharmaceutical products by individuals or companies that are unregistered could come with a fine of E50 000 or imprisonment not exceeding two years. The object of the Bill is meant to regulate the pharmacy protection and to establish the Pharmacy Council. Section 55 of the Pharmacy Bill, No. 8 of 2021, proposes that offences under the anticipated Act are to the effect that a person who, not being registered, yet carries on a business as a pharmacist or allows to be described as a pharmacist, commits an offence and may face two years imprisonment.

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